


She Said the Word

by the_obiwan_for_me



Series: She Said the Word AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, But it might be amazing what happens when he gets the support he needs, Death Watch (Star Wars), Domestic Fluff, Don't mess with Obi-Wan's Family, Don't mess with Satine's Family, F/M, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Mandalorian Culture, Obi-Wan is a great dad, Satine is a BAMF, Slow Burn, and gets it, at least at first, eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:35:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 68
Words: 253,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25750675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_obiwan_for_me/pseuds/the_obiwan_for_me
Summary: In one universe, Jedi padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi is not asked to stay by the love of his life, Duchess Satine Kryze. We all know how that story goes.In another, she said the word.How is the galaxy effected when the great Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi never existed?What does a galaxy torn to pieces look like with family man/consort to the Mandalorian Duchess Obi-Wan Kenobi in it?
Relationships: Bo-Katan Kryze/Original Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: She Said the Word AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942408
Comments: 2007
Kudos: 1456





	1. So He Stayed

**Author's Note:**

> I've toyed around with the idea of writing an "Obi-Wan stayed" AU for awhile, but wasn't really sure how it would go. So, I just started to write to see what came and now I am REALLY excited with how things are going to shape up, and I hope you all enjoy it, too! I have several chapters written that I am tidying up and editing and lots more to come!
> 
> First chapter is a quick couple of moments from their first year truly together. The next few chapters may be a little soft and fluffy, but Obi-Wan and Satine deserve some soft and fluffy.
> 
> There will be liberties taken with Mandalorian culture, but considering this is pacifist Mandalore and not true Mandalore, I think that's ok.

_37 BBY_

“Ben, stay.”

They were sprawled in her bed in the royal palace, moonlight filtering in, sheets a tangled mess around their legs. It was their last night together. She was safe. Her planet and people were safe. He was to leave the next day. 

“I’m sorry?”

She sat up from where she rested on his bare chest, and locked her blue eyes to his. “Stay with me. Stay on Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan sat up and studied her face closely. “Satine, you do realize what you’re asking of me, don’t you?”

She moved to face him, tucking her long legs underneath herself. “We’ve talked about this, Obi-Wan. Ad nauseum. I am _very_ well aware of what I am asking.”

“What will your people say, you taking on a Jedi consort?” 

She sighed, tired of the same questions, endlessly. “You wouldn’t be a Jedi, now, would you?” She caressed his cheek. 

He smiled, a little sad, but chuckled. “No. I suppose not.”

“Besides, we have a long tradition of taking in foundlings, so you’d most likely be considered just that.” He scoffed at the notion. “Just because you’re not born of Mando’ade blood doesn’t mean you couldn’t be a Mandalorian.” She smiled at him. “ _Aliit ori'shya tal'din.”_

He furrowed his brow, trying to parse the meaning of the Mando’a from what she had taught him over the last year. “Family is….more than...blood?”

“Exactly, my love.”

He took her hands, rubbing his thumbs across her knuckles. “I’ve known nothing else but the order. What would I do here?”

She laughed. “Who is to say you cannot continue doing what you do now? Broker peace, defend the helpless, settle disputes, champion just causes.”

He smiled. “And you love me?”

“With all my heart, my Ben.” She squeezed his hands. “Stay.”

The silence was deafening. She could hear their hearts beating in the stillness. She held her breath as he stared down at their joined hands. Finally, _finally,_ he looked up into her eyes. His are rimmed with tears, but his face was lit with joy. “I love you, Satine. Of course I will stay.”

She gasped, and began to cry. Tears of joy, excitement, relief. He pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly. They hold each other for a long time. No words spoken, just basking in each other's love, and the excitement for their future. Together. 

Eventually, Obi-Wan untangled himself from Satine’s arms and began to dress. “I have to speak with Qui-Gon. I may be a while.”

“I understand, my love.” She lays back into her bed. No. Their bed, now, and smiled at him. "Take all the time you need.” He pulled on his boots and leaned down to kiss her. 

“I love you,” he said. 

“And I love you. Go talk to your master.”

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan had not woken Qui-Gon when he went to his quarters. It seemed his master had been waiting for him. There was even tea ready. “I had a feeling you would be coming to see me, padawan mine,” he explained. 

Qui-Gon was not surprised at the news, when Obi-Wan finally finished his rambling confession and decision to stay with Satine. If anything, he seemed to anticipate it.

“Are you disappointed in me, Master?” Obi-Wan asked as he watched Qui-Gon methodically stir his tea. 

Qui-Gon looked up, almost shocked. “Certainly not, Obi-Wan. Choosing to love someone, to be their partner, that is a noble thing. You are a good and noble man, young one. It has been clear for some time that your love for the duchess runs deep, as hers for you. I feel if you chose to return to Coruscant with me, you may live with a regret that will be hard to shake.” He smiled, shook his head. “No, my padawan. I am not disappointed. I will miss you by my side, but I am eager to watch you grow into this new life.”

“I worry I won’t know what to do here. That I won’t find my place in all of this,” Obi-Wan admitted. 

“Ah, but you see, you’ve already been doing a great deal of it, over the last year. You are good for Satine.” He chuckled, sipping his tea. “You challenge her. You make her think. You have supported her, protected her, while allowing her autonomy. What more could a ruler want in their partner? What more could anyone want in a partner?”

Obi-Wan considered this viewpoint. The last year was chaotic, often dangerous, but, when he examined it from Qui-Gon’s point of view, he could see it. These were skills he had. That he could bring into his new role, whatever that may be. 

“And, Obi-Wan, if you do the same for the Mando’ade- challenge them, support them, protect them, while allowing them to be so very Mandalorian, well, I think you’ll find your past as a Jedi will mean very little to them.” 

Obi-Wan smiled. He expected this conversation to go so very differently. He’d expected to be chastened. Scolded. Lectured. Instead, he felt more settled in his choice. More prepared for his new path. 

“Thank you, Qui-Gon. Your encouragement and wisdom mean a great deal to me.” He chuckled. “I admit, I was expecting a far different conversation.”

“Yes, I can understand why you would expect that. I am a soft touch for matters of the heart, though. You know I have my own regrets.” Obi-Wan nods, remembering Master Tahl. 

Qui-Gon continued. “You will need to speak with the council, which will probably go more the way you would expect, I’m afraid.” He gave Obi-Wan a wry smile. “But we can do that in the morning. For now, I suggest you return to your duchess.”

Obi-Wan began to protest that he hadn’t been with the duchess, but then realized that was something he no longer had to deny. He smiled at Qui-Gon and nodded. “Thank you, Qui-Gon. For everything. My time with you will be cherished.”

Qui-Gon stood to see Obi-Wan to the door. “Of course, Obi-Wan. I too will cherish our time together. But please don’t think you cannot continue to turn to me for guidance. Both of you. I will always be there to support you.” He squeezed Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Go, young man. Enjoy your duchess.”

* * *

  
  


So, Obi-Wan Kenobi stayed on Mandalore, with the Duchess, Satine Kryze. His acceptance as her consort, much like his confession to Qui-Gon, went smoother than either of them expected. To Satine’s people, the Jedi had been her guardians during the angry, brutal, bloody civil war. That earned the order a measure of respect amongst people who had, for millennia, been, at best, wary of Jedi. 

It helped that Obi-Wan was no longer an actual Jedi, of course. 

They said the _riduurok_ to each other a few nights later, in one of the palace’s gardens. Extravagant weddings weren’t really a custom amongst the Mandalorian people. As a race of warriors, taking time away from battle for what could be done quickly and simply with a few spoken words was considered frivolous. Obi-Wan, a man who had lived simply his entire young life, appreciated the lack of fanfare. He kissed his new wife, his passionate, idealistic, beautiful wife, under the moon, and sent a prayer of gratitude to the Force for guiding him to this moment. 

* * *

They had been together on Mandalore for four weeks, slowly finding their way as newlyweds, as well as rebuilding Mandalore, when Satine found him one afternoon in the gardens, practicing katas. All color had drained from her face, her eyes were glassy. Waves of anxiety washed off of her through the Force.

He rushed to her side, and sat her on a nearby bench. “What is it, my love? Has something happened?”

She stared off into the garden. “I thought it was because of the stress from being on the run. How often we went hungry….”she trailed off. 

“Satine, what are you talking about?” 

She finally turned to face him, grabbed his hands and clung to them. “I’ve just come from the healer.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Obi-Wan fought back against the panic rising in him.

“Ben, I’m three months pregnant.”

He blinked, his jaw went slack, as his brain tried to process this news. Finally, a thought formed. “I thought...I thought we were safe from this, uhhh, predicament.”

“Predicament?! Force, Obi-Wan.” She rubbed her forehead. “But, yes. I have, well, had an implant. The healer suspects that the incident with venom mites may have made it null.”

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “Oh! Oh my. We’re having a baby?”

She smiled, almost sheepishly. “It seems to be that we're having a baby.”

He placed a hand on her stomach, still flat. They both were still a bit thin, filling out after their hardships of the past year. “And….and the baby? The baby is healthy?” He looked into her eyes, concerned. The baby’s first couple of months had _not_ been the easiest. 

“The baby is healthy. Thriving, even.” She covered his hand with hers. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, reached out through the Force. There it was. A little spark of life, tucked safely away within the love of his life. How had he missed it? Suddenly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry, but both were born of joy and astonishment. A little more than a month ago, being a father was _not_ something he considered a path for himself. Maybe a master with a padawan, but a _father_? Tears sprang to his eyes, and he began to cry.

Satine, startled by this, grabbed his face in her hands. “Oh, Obi-Wan. It’s ok. We have opt-”

“No, no, no, Satine. We’re having a _baby!_ ” he exclaimed through his tears. “I didn’t realize it was possible to be as happy as I am right now.”

Now Satine began to cry. “Ben! We’re having a baby!”

Obi-Wan laughed through his tears. “Why are we both crying then?”

Satine, wiping her face, started to laugh, too. “Hormones are my excuse. You, sir, are just _weak.”_

He laughed harder, and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close while they both cried with joy. The Force worked strangely. He’d only ever thought he would be a Jedi knight. Now he was a husband, and, in a few short months, he would be a father. Life was strange. Beautiful and strange. 

* * *

  
  
  


Korkie Jinn Kryze-Kenobi came screaming into the world in the middle of the night, three frustrating weeks late. He was born with a caul, which, Obi-Wan was told by the fierce, mildly terrifying midwife, was the sign of a great warrior in Mandalorian folklore. As he held his baby boy, Obi-Wan couldn’t help laugh at that. Korkie’s mother was a pacifist. His father was a Jedi drop out. A warrior, despite the baby’s Mandalorian blood, seemed a reach.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“He’s strong in the Force, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon said as he cradled the infant in his arms. Korkie, at three months old, looked even tinier held by his giant of a godfather, but Qui-Gon’s peaceful nature had instantly lulled the baby into a peaceful sleep. He smiled down at the little one, before looking up at the proud parents who sat across from him. 

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’ve noticed. Apparently it is something that can be passed along.”

“Will you send him to the temple?” The baby grasped Qui-Gon’s large finger in his sleep, making the man smile even broader.

Obi-Wan and Satine shifted nervously, before Obi-Wan spoke. “We’ve discussed it some. Of course, nothing is definite, but, well….” he trailed off, looking to Satine for help.

“The Mando’ade believe that our strength comes from family. We’re not sure we want him to be raised detached from that belief,” Satine explained.

Qui-Gon nodded. “Yes, yes. That certainly makes sense.” He watched the baby in his arms sleep for a moment. “Mandalore needs new blood, too, so keeping him here would be important in that regard.” He paused, thinking. “Of course, another Mandalorian Jedi may do great things for the relations between your home and the Jedi.”

“I believe Obi-Wan has already done quite a bit to improve those relations,” Satine said pointedly. 

Qui-Gon smiled with pride at his former padawan. “That he has, indeed.” Obi-Wan blushed under the weight of the compliments. He’d worked hard over the past year, and was considered a highly sought after councilor amongst Satine’s cabinet. He had no desire for power. He just wanted to assist in every way possible in making his adopted home safe and his adopted people happy and peaceful.

“Well, whatever you decide, he will grow to be a remarkable man, I’m sure,” Qui-Gon said, looking down again at the baby, his red hair already growing in thick, like his father’s. “I look forward to watching him grow. Be it here, raised by his parents, or in the temple.”

“Either way, he’ll learn to use his gifts,” Obi-Wan said, squeezing Satine’s hand. “I may be a Jedi drop out, but I think you taught me well enough to pass it on.”

“You’re not a drop out, padawan. Following the living Force, and walking the path it lays before you is far from being a failure. You’ll raise him well, I have no doubts.”

Obi-Wan took a deep, centering breath. He hoped the faith Qui-Gon had in him was well founded.


	2. Endings and Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tragedy brings Obi-Wan and his duchess to Naboo. A trip destined to change their family in many ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait and feed these completed chapters out slowly, but I'm too excited and couldn't wait! Don't get used to it. At some point my editing will catch up with my writing!

_ 32 BBY _

Obi-Wan gripped Satine’s hand tightly throughout the funeral. While he had allowed himself tears, grief, and anger in their quarters aboard the  _ Coronet _ , the moment he was surrounded by the Jedi attending Qui-Gon’s funeral, he had slipped into his old stoicism. When the funeral pyre was lit, Satine muffled a sob in Obi-Wan’s shoulder. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, and moved his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. He envied her at times. Mandalorians wore their emotions with pride. Satine would mourn her mentor, her father figure, how she chose. Jedi be damned. The only sign of his grief was the way he clung to the woman he loved.

The funeral came to a close and mourners filed out, milling about in the courtyard sedately. Obi-Wan waited quietly as Satine dried her face, squared her shoulders, and laid a quieting hand on her swollen belly. “Lilly, please. Have some sense of decorum,” she muttered under her breath. Obi-Wan smirked in amusement.

“She senses all the Jedi, I think,” he whispered, laying his hand over Satine’s, and wrapping the baby in a blanket of calm. 

“That very well may be, but if she continues to dance on my bladder, there will be consequences,” Satine said, sighing with relief as the baby calmed. “I don’t remember Korkie being like this.”

“Probably because she’s going to be like you,” Obi-Wan said, winking at her, as he offered her his arm and led her outside.

“Force help us then.”

“Indeed, my dear,” he chuckled, stepping out into the night air. Mace Windu and Master Yoda stood together near the doorway, observing the quietly mingling crowd, a mix of Jedi and Nabooian dignitary from the looks of it. Obi-Wan stopped to greet them.

“Master Windu, Master Yoda, it has been a long time.” He bowed slightly. “May I introduce you to my wife, Duchess Satine Kryze.”

The masters both tipped their heads. “Duchess, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” Windu said.

“As do I, Master Windu. But it is nice to finally meet some of the people who helped form my husband into the man he is.”

“In order, congratulations are, it seems,” Master Yoda said, with a little chuckle, motioning toward her belly. “Second one this is, hmm?” He swatted Obi-Wan on the shin with his gimer stick, causing him to hiss in pain and Satine to stifle a laugh.

“Yes, Master Yoda. Our son will be at the festivities tomorrow. He is anxious to meet you,” Obi-Wan said, trying to ignore the sting in his shin.

“I sense this one to be strong in the Force, like her father,” Windu commented. “Qui-Gon had mentioned your son is, as well. Will you be sending them to the temple to train?”

Obi-Wan stiffened, and a wave of indignation washed off of Satine. He started to answer, but Satine spoke first.

“Masters, our children will be raised as Mandalorian, and will be staying with their family,” Satine explained. “Family is of sacred importance to our people. Sending them off to be raised by strangers would, I’m afraid, not be held in high regard. Besides,” she added with a shrug, “Obi-Wan is doing a remarkable job helping Korkie learn to harness his abilities. He’s even helping this one.” She rubbed her swollen belly lovingly.

The masters looked to Obi-Wan, who just smiled graciously.

Windu rubbed his chin. “I don’t want to be an alarmist, but as Master Jinn was killed by a Sith, I do have to wonder if Force sensitive children would be safer in the temple.”

Satine blanched. “Obi-Wan explained the Sith to me a bit. Do you really think that’s a concern?”

“Know we do not. Concerning, though, it is. Force sensitive children protected should be,” Yoda said.

“Our children are being raised in a palace filled with guards. Mandalore may be a peaceful planet, but the people are still quite fearsome when and if the need arrives. I think they will be quite safe, masters.” Obi-Wan fought to keep the derision out of his voice, but causing his exceptionally pregnant wife to worry had worn his diplomacy thin. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a little one back at the palace who has most likely escaped his nurse droid’s attempts to put him to bed.” He bowed to the masters. “We will see you tomorrow at the ceremony.” With that, he led Satine away, toward a waiting speeder provided by Queen Amidala.

“Ben, do you think we should be worried?” Satine asked as he helped her into the speeder.

“I don’t know, my love. I will speak with Master Koon tomorrow, seeing as he actually fought this Sith.” He sat down beside her and took her hand, kissed it. “I think it would be prudent to re-evaluate the family’s protection, though.”

“I don’t want our children living constantly in the shadow of guards, Obi-Wan. I spent a year on the run, and before that, I was constantly surrounded by guards. That is no life for anyone, especially children.”

“I know, my dear. I have some thoughts on it. I don’t think we need  _ more  _ guards. Just some….minor changes.” He squeezed her hand. “We don’t have to discuss it now. Especially without more information.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “At least I know you will keep them safe, just as you kept me safe.”

Obi-Wan kissed the top of her head and hummed a little affirmative. He kept to himself that protecting her from bounty hunters would be a walk in the park if Sith ever came for their children. 

That was  _ not  _ something he intended to let happen. 

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan smiled broadly as he watched his son’s delight during the parade to celebrate the liberation of Naboo. He had been unsure about attending when the Queen had invited them, but his son’s joy made him glad they had agreed. The festivities did little to ease his own grief, or Satine’s, as he sensed her sadness hidden behind her regal smile, but, despite his pain, seeing his son in such rapture was a pleasant distraction, in and of itself.

Obi-Wan turned his attention away from his son to take in the rest of the honored guests and noticed another young boy, a few years older than Korkie, hovering near Plo Koon. He realized that he’d seen the boy the night before, during the funeral, but was too lost in his own thoughts to really assess why such a young boy would be forced to endure a funeral for a Jedi Master. 

Now he studied the boy closer. He wondered if he was a padawan, maybe Master Koon’s, but there was no padawan braid or horrible haircut. His face was clean, but his clothes were practically threadbare. What Obi-Wan  _ really  _ noticed was how blindingly bright he was in the Force. He shined like a star. He made a point, then, to ask about him during the reception later. 

The ceremony drew to a close and the various dignitaries and honored guests were ushered into the royal palace. He held Korkie’s hand and offered his free arm to Satine, and began to make his way to Master Koon and the boy.

They hadn’t made it very far before being stopped by the newly elected Chancellor.

“Ahh, Duchess Kryze, Mr. Kenobi. It is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you. The Queen has spoken very highly of you, Duchess.”

“The Queen is far too kind, Chancellor,” Satine replied, gracefully inclining her head. 

“And this must be your son. Hello, young man.” The Chancellor extended his hand to Korkie, who eyed him suspiciously before shaking it. 

The Chancellor turned to face Obi-Wan. His eyes flicked to his lightsaber, hanging from his belt. “Mr. Kenobi, are you a Jedi, as well? I was under the impression Jedi didn’t have families.” He held out his hand, which Obi-Wan shook. 

“Ah, yes. My Lightsaber is more of a momento from my upbringing in the temple at this point, Chancellor. You are correct. Jedi are not to form attachments. I left the order as a padawan because the Force led me down a different path.” He smiled at Satine, who squeezed his arm lovingly. “Master Jinn was my Master as a padawan, which is our sad reason to be visiting your lovely home planet.”

“Oh, I see. My condolences, then. Master Jinn was a remarkable man.” The Chancellor smiled again at Korkie, who stepped partially behind his father. Obi-Wan felt spikey little waves of anxiety coming off of his son. Strange. The boy was far from shy. He was typically quite precocious, even around strangers. 

Satine came to the rescue. “Chancellor, if you’ll please excuse us. I’m afraid Obi-Wan has been anxious to speak with Master Koon, and I see he is free. Congratulations on your election, by the way.” She smiled graciously, and tugged Obi-Wan toward Master Koon. 

Korkie pulled at his hand. “Buir, I didn’t like that man.”

“Hmm, I noticed, ad’ika. You’ll have to tell me more about what you were sensing later,” Obi-wan said, giving his son’s hand a little squeeze. 

“To be honest, Obi-Wan, I don’t think I like him, either,” Satine whispered. “Something is off, and I don’t even have the gift you and Korkie have.” Obi-Wan hummed in response. He hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. The man was about as null as could be, but he tended to agree with his family. Something felt  _ off.  _

Finally, they waded through the crowd to Plo Koon. Despite his mask and eye protection, it was always easy to tell when he smiled. His warm, inviting demeanor tended to wash off of him in calm, loving waves.

“Obi-Wan, my boy!” he greeted. “I wish we were reuniting under happier terms, but it is still very good to see you and to finally meet your family.” He bowed to Satine. “Duchess.” She smiled and tipped her head to him. “And this must be the mighty Korkie Jinn Kryze-Kenobi Qui-Gon spoke so fondly of!” 

“Korkie, this is Master Koon. He was one of my teachers as a boy,” Obi-Wan explained to his son. Unlike with Chancellor Palpatine, Korkie was immediately drawn to Koon. He looked between his father and Koon in amazement. 

“You taught my papa?” 

“I did, young one.” Koon crouched down to get on Korkie’s level. “Tell me, are you as much of a troublemaker as your father was?”

Satine laughed. “Oh please. Obi-Wan is still a troublemaker and his son is his co-conspirator half the time.”

“Hey!” the Kenobi men said in unison, indignant at the allegations. 

Koon chuckled. “I’m not at all surprised.” He stood to face the adults again.

“Master Koon, I must ask, do you really believe you and Qui-Gon encountered a Sith?” Obi-Wan asked. Satine’s hand tightened slightly around his arm. 

“Obi-Wan, without a doubt. And he was formidably trained in the Jedi arts. I have not met anyone quite so skilled in a long time outside of the order itself.” He shook his head. “Such a great loss.”

“And I understand the monster escaped?” 

“Unfortunately,” Koon nodded. “I wounded him, but he managed to slip away. It was a trying day, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

Obi-Wan nodded, rubbing his chin. Behind Koon, seated along the wall, he noticed the boy again. “And what of this boy? Is he your padawan? I’ve seen him close to you since last night.”

Koon looked back at the boy, and shook his head again. “Anakin Skywalker. A child Qui-Gon found while we were stuck on Tatooine. He’s remarkably strong in the Force, I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“Indeed,” Obi-Wan nodded. 

“Qui-Gon felt he may be the Chosen One,” Koon went on.

Obi-Wan chuckled, shook his head. “That does sound like Qui-Gon.”

Satine looked confused. “The Chosen One?”

“An old prophecy, my love,” Obi-Wan explained. “A being said to come to bring balance to the Force. You know how Qui-Gon was about those ancient texts and prophecies.”

Koon chuckled before continuing. “The boy is quite remarkable, whether he’s the Chosen One or not. He’s a gifted pilot, even already. He won the Boonta Eve pod race while we were there. Qui-Gon, the crazy fool, actually bet on him, wagering the child’s freedom-“

“He was a  _ slave?”  _ Satine asked, shock in her voice. 

“He was indeed, Duchess.” Koon glanced back again at the boy. “He then climbed into one of the Star fighters here on Naboo during the battle, and ultimately ended up destroying the Trade Federation’s ship.”

“ _ What _ ? He’s what- ten?” Obi-Wan was incredulous. 

“Nine,” Koon corrected. “Qui-Gon was set on training him, despite the council’s belief that he is too old. Now, though….” 

Satine looked at the boy, her eyes sad. “What will happen to him if he won’t be trained in the temple?” she asked. 

“Of that I am not sure. I suppose he would be sent back to Tatooine.”

“You’d send him  _ back  _ to slavery?” Anger rose in Satine’s voice, her Mandalorian passion flaring brightly. Koon hung his head for a moment before turning to the boy and calling him. 

“Ani, come here. I have people I would like you to meet.”

The boy approached, a wary look on his young face. Obi-Wan didn’t blame him. It sounded like his life had been in serious upheaval the last few days. Obi-Wan crouched down to be on the boy’s level. 

“Anakin, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Koon said. “And his wife, the Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore, and their son, Korkie.” 

“Hello, Anakin. I hear we have a special friend in common,” Obi-Wan said, smiling at the boy. 

Anakin studied him for a moment, before he caught sight of his lightsaber. “Are you a Jedi, too?” he asked in wonder. “You don’t look like the other Jedi.”

Satine laughed behind Obi-Wan and he could sense Koon’s smirk, even if his expression was hidden. He looked down at his attire; a sharply tailored tunic and trousers in the same deep blue as Satine’s formal gown, though far simpler. “Oh, I suppose I don’t, do I? But no. I’m not a Jedi anymore.”

“You can  _ stop _ being a Jedi?” The boy was incredulous. 

Obi-Wan smiled up at Satine. “For the right reasons, some may leave the order. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still believe in the same things a Jedi does.”

The boy considered this, nodding his head, then went back to what Obi-Wan had first said. “You knew Master Qui-Gon?” His eyes were downcast. Obi-Wan could feel the shadows of grief across this bright child’s shining signature. What an impact Qui-Gon must have made in such a short time. 

“I did, indeed. He was my master. He taught me about the Force. How to use it.” 

“Anakin,” Satine said gently. “Korkie loves starships. Perhaps you’d like to tell him about your recent adventures?” Obi-Wan glanced up at his wife, and could tell she had something on her mind. He pushed Korkie toward Anakin, which wasn’t so hard- Korkie seemed taken by the boy. Anakin grabbed Korkie’s hand.

“Come on, Korkie!” The two headed off toward the edge of the room, already in serious discussion.

“My apologies,” Satine said, turning back to Koon as Mace Windu approached. “I had questions about the boy that I thought may be inappropriate for little ears.” Obi-Wan looked at his wife curiously. “I may be overstepping, Masters,” she went on, nodding at Windu, “but as a mother I tend to be a soft touch for little ones.” She lay a hand on her belly as if to make her point.  _ Where is she going with this _ , Obi-Wan wondered. 

“Of course, Duchess, I, too, am a bit of a soft touch when it comes to younglings,” Koon said graciously. “Please, go ahead.”

“My biggest concern is that if he is not to be trained, per Master Jinn’s desires, what will happen to him?” She gave a worried glance over at the two boys. 

“Well,” Windu said, rubbing his chin, “there aren’t a lot of options. We could place him in an orphanage. He could stay and work in the temple, I suppose. Or we could return him to his mother.”

“So, abandon him, indentured servitude, or slavery?” Somehow Satine had drawn herself up even taller, anger flushing her cheeks. 

“Satine,” Obi-Wan started to attempt to calm her. 

“No, Obi-Wan, I want to hear them say it. They would return him to slavery.”

He looked at the masters. Koon’s face was unreadable, but his body language spoke volumes. Windu narrowed his eyes at the duchess. “Not every child can stay in the temple, your grace. If he doesn’t have a place with us, which I don’t believe he does, then he needs somewhere to go.”

“And what of this immense power Master Koon has mentioned? Obi-Wan senses it, too. He’ll go untrained? Is that wise?” She glowered at Windu. “Just last night, you and Master Yoda tried to convince me that there was a great danger to  _ my  _ children, such that they should be taken from their family and their people to keep them safe. What of this boy? He has no father strong in the Force, nor a guard of Mandalorian Protectors, as my children have. If what you say is true, you would leave him ripe for the taking for this  _ Sith.” _

It dawned on Obi-Wan then where his wife was headed with this. And he had a bad feeling about it. “Masters, will you excuse us for a moment?” The two masters bowed. Obi-Wan gently pulled Satine to the side. She pressed a hand to her head, eyes squeezed shut. Frustration and anger washed off of her. 

“Stars, Ben. I am so thankful you did not stay in that hypocrisy. One challenging boy, and they wash their hands of him.” 

Obi-Wan rubbed her arms, ignored her dig at the order that had raised him. “What are you thinking, Satine?”

Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed heavily. “I’m thinking we offer to take him.”

He stared at her. She crooked an elegant eyebrow at him, daring him to disagree. “Satine, my love, we’re already about to have a second one...you want to bring a third one in  _ now?” _

“What’s one more? It’s not like he’ll be another infant. He’s older than Korkie.”

“He’s probably half feral.” He glanced over at the boys, Korkie enraptured by whatever tale Anakin is telling, with full choreography and sound effects. 

“Oh please, Ben. Our children are half Kenobi and half Mando’ade. He’d fit right in,” Satine said with an impatient snort. 

He couldn’t find the lie in that. 

“Clearly, Qui-Gon saw something in the boy. Don’t you think, if the Jedi won’t raise him, he would want to know he would be safe with you? With  _ us?”  _

If Obi-Wan didn’t know Satine, he would say this was a guilt trip. But that was not like her. Satine didn’t rely on guilt to get things done. And he knew, he  _ knew,  _ she was right. He grimaced and rubbed his face. “Yes. Yes. You are absolutely correct.” She smiled at him, caressed his cheek. 

“You’re a good man, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Oh!” Her hand went to her belly. “See? Even Lily likes the idea of another big brother.”

“Careful, my dears,” he said affectionately, kissing Satine on the cheek and stroking her belly, “If we do this, you will be outnumbered.” Satine laughed, and then gasped, grabbing Obi-Wan’s arm. A sharp burst of pain hit Obi-Wan like a tidal wave through the Force.

“Oh, not good.”

* * *

  
  


Lily Bo Kryze-Kenobi, impatient and strong willed, made herself known to the galaxy aboard the  _ Coronet _ , somewhere between Naboo and her home on Mandalore. She refused to wait. 

An old Mandalorian wives’ tale said that those born among the stars, like herself, would find allies among them. 

Obi-Wan shrugged off the old wives’ tale. All he cared about was how perfect and healthy she was. How she looked like her mother, all bright blue eyes and blonde hair. And how she glowed so fiercely in the Force. 

He held her close, Korkie dozing in his lap, too, overwhelmed and exhausted by the far too adventurous trip. The three snuggled in the cockpit, allowing Satine to rest, left alone by the crew, and watched the stars whirl by. Obi-Wan thought about how big his love was for these two little lights. And then he thought about the little boy who seemed to be made of shining light itself that his master had saved. The little boy he would go to Coruscant for and bring home with him to Mandalore. 

Council be damned. He’d raise the boy, alongside these two bright lights, teach them all the ways of the Force, and set them on their paths to destiny. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *winces* My apologies for the grandpa Qui-Gon fans. Just know little Korkie Kenobi has fond memories of the gentle, giant man with long hair visiting him when he was tiny.
> 
> I chose Plo Koon as Qui-Gon's companion to Naboo because he is one of my favorites and they seem like they would have made a good pair to send together to negotiate. I also like that he's gentle and kind, particularly to the littles.


	3. Cowards. All of you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With baby Lily and Satine settled safely on Mandalore, Obi-Wan travels to Coruscant and bring home their OTHER new addition. And finds himself disillusioned by the very order that raised him.
> 
> Anakin begins to realize Obi-Wan is someone he can finally trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, don't get used to daily updates. Especially as I start to move into the real meat of this story. But I'm feeling generous today!

Obi-Wan felt strange walking through the temple. While he had visited Coruscant several times over the years since he left the order, he had yet to return to the temple. He felt oddly out of place, dressed like royalty in a place of simple, understated beauty. Though, he thought with a chuckle to himself, he still felt out of place in what he was expected to wear while representing Mandalore. 

He arrived at the council chambers and waited quietly to be called in, breathing deeply with his eyes closed to calm his nerves. He didn’t understand why he was nervous- this was more of a formality than anything. But old memories die hard, and most of Obi-Wan’s memories of that room behind those doors were unpleasant, at best. 

“Are you meditating?” A young voice prompted him to open his eyes, finding Anakin standing in front of him, studying him. He smiled at the boy.

“Hello, Anakin. I wasn’t really meditating, just steadying my emotions before meeting with the council.”

“Oh,” the boy said simply, climbing up to sit next to Obi-Wan. 

“Have they taught you about meditating yet?” Obi-Wan asked, turning to look at the boy.

“They really haven’t taught me anything,”Anakin said, shrugging, eyes cast down.

“Oh?” This did not sit well with Obi-Wan. He would have thought someone would have at least tried to instruct the boy on how to shield, as his thoughts and feelings were  _ loud.  _ Or, at the very least, sat with the poor boy and taught him some meditation techniques. The child was a bright, turbulent knot of confusion, anxiety, and grief. 

It was then that they were summoned into the chambers. Anakin hesitated, a tidal wave of anxiety rolling off him in the Force. “It’s alright, Anakin. They really want to talk to me more than you, ok?” He offered the boy his hand. The boy looked at him skeptically, then gave a quick nod and took his hand. 

He sent the boy calming energy through the Force and led him into the chambers. He stopped them in the middle of the room, surrounded by the entire council. “Masters,” he greeted, bowing.

“Mr. Kenobi, youngling, welcome.” Master Windu greeted. “Thank you for coming all this way, Kenobi, especially considering the recent addition to your family.”

Obi-Wan bowed, but remained silent and stoic.

“We’re here to discuss the adoption of Anakin Skywalker, ward of the Jedi Order, by the royal family of Mandalore,” Windu went on to explain for the official record.

“Mr. Kenobi, may I ask what your intentions are with this boy?” Ki-Adi Mundi asked.

“Master Mundi,  _ intentions _ ?” Obi-Wan scoffed. “He’s a child. My wife and I plan to feed him, shelter him, educate him, love him, support him. As we do already with our own children.”

He felt the boy’s eyes turn to him, could feel his confusion and wonder. Had no one told him what was going on?

“The boy is strong in the Force, Obi-Wan. What of that?” Depa Billaba asked. 

“What of it? He would receive more guidance with me than he will with any of the solutions Master Windu laid out for the Duchess and I while discussing this on Naboo.” He gave a pointed look to Windu, then decided to dig in. “Masters, your decision not to train this boy as Master Jinn had planned before his murder leaves him with few options. An orphanage, working in the temple alongside cleaning and cooking droids, or returning to Tatooine, essentially returning him to a life of slavery, after promising him a life of freedom. All of these are cruel and heartless solutions, when the issue could have been simply solved by training him as a Jedi, as Master Jinn had wanted for the boy.”

The masters stared at him. 

“Well?” Obi-Wan said. “Does anyone want to reconsider?”

Mutters and grumbling and head shakes filled the room.

“Cowards. All of you.” Obi-Wan realized at that moment he had possibly spent too much time with Mandalorians, but he did not back off. “Master Jinn may have been the last Jedi Master to actually hold to the true ideals of the Jedi. And  _ he  _ was not a coward. This boy is powerful. And, yes, he is older than most who arrive at the temple, but to not even give him a chance?” Obi-Wan shook his head. “I’m frankly relieved to not be associated with this organization any longer.”

Stunned silence filled the room. Several masters exchanged glances. Anakin moved closer to Obi-Wan, who placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. 

“Unless there are any other questions, I would be happy to finish any paperwork that might still need doing, collect Anakin’s health records, take Anakin, and get ourselves out of the temple’s hair.”

Yoda gave him a long, steady look, and, for a moment, Obi-Wan felt like a troublesome child again. But then Yoda softened his gaze. “Hmmm...with passion you speak, young Obi-Wan. Jedi you are not, but must not your training forget. Mindful of your anger you should be. Finished we are here. The child you will take.”

“Very well. Thank you, masters.” Obi-Wan bowed. 

“Thank you, masters,” Anakin said, following Obi-Wan’s example, and bowed, as well.

Obi-Wan took the boy’s hand and led him out of the chambers. They walked together in silence to the lifts, entered one, and descended. 

Finally, Anakin broke the silence. “You….you’re adopting me?”

“We are. Unless you rather not. I could take you to Tatooine.” Obi-Wan looked down at the boy, but he had his eyes cast down, looking at his shuffling feet. 

“I would go back to being a slave?”

“Anakin, I honestly don’t know, but returning you to your mother would be a hardship for both of you.”

The lift stopped and let them off on the ground floor of the temple. He led him through the halls toward the main entrance. Anakin was quiet, and Obi-Wan could tell he was deep in thought. He held his tongue, and allowed him the time to think through the last few minutes.

“If I go with you, does that mean I would have a brother?” Anakin finally asked.

“And a baby sister, Lily,” Obi-Wan replied.

“Would I have to call you master?”

Obi-Wan looked sharply at the boy, but then understood the strange question. The child had lived a life in slavery, then was briefly taken in by an order full of  _ masters _ . Two different things, for certain, but he could understand why the young boy would have a hard time with such a title, in any context.

“Certainly not,” he told him, leading him through the doors of the temple, back into the barely controled chaos of Coruscant. “You can call me Obi-Wan. If you wanted you could call me father, or papa, or dad, or buir, but I wouldn’t expect or ask you to if you didn’t want to. But certainly not master.”

“What’s  _ buir  _ mean?”

“Parent. It’s Mando’a for parent.”

“And what’s Mandalore like?” Anakin was now skipping a bit, having relaxed now that they were outside the temple.

“Oh, well, Mandalore has beautiful cities inside of enormous domes. It is very peaceful, with much emphasis on education, science, and the arts.”

“That sounds  _ way _ different than Tatooine,” Anakin said, scratching his head.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “It is far different than Tatooine.”

Obi-Wan loaded Anakin in the speeder that awaited them, and they moved off toward the spaceport. The boy remained silent the whole ride, watching Coruscant zip by. Obi-Wan could feel the turmoil the boy was experiencing through the Force, and grew angry again at the council. The boy was in their care for more than a week. They could have at least taught him  _ something _ . But he left the boy to his thoughts. He knew from his own son that sometimes a child needed a chance to piece together what they’ve learned instead of being harassed by an adult, making them anxious and prone to rash decisions. 

They arrived at the ship and Anakin’s eyes went wide. “This is your ship?” 

It wasn’t the  _ Coronet-  _ Obi-Wan couldn’t fathom a reason to bring that beast for just him and a boy- but a smaller shuttle, sleek and minimalist, more appropriate for a quick trip to and from Coruscant. “Yes. One of our fleet, that is.”

“There’s a  _ fleet?”  _ The boy’s jaw went slack.

Obi-Wan chuckled as he steered the boy up the ramp. “Indeed. The royal family has many ships to see to our travel needs.”

“Like Padme on Naboo,” Anakin said as he followed Obi-Wan to the cockpit.

“You mean  _ Queen Amidala?  _ I don’t think we’re supposed to call the Queen of Naboo by her given name, Anakin.” Obi-Wan made a mental note to catch the boy up on proper etiquette if he was to join the family.

“Oh. Well, we’re friends. I didn’t realize she was the queen at first. She was dressed like a handmaiden!” He suddenly looked sheepish. “I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“No worries, young one. Satine is friends with Queen Amidala. We’re familiar with her penchant for hiding amongst her handmaidens.” Obi-Wan smiled at the boy. “I didn’t realize you’d spent so much time with her.” He began his preflight check. Anakin watched with rapt attention.

“Qui-Gon and Master Plo brought her to Tatooine to keep her safe. Well, they didn’t  _ mean  _ to come to Tatooine, but they had to fix her ship. Then we came here to Coruscant, then we went  _ back  _ to Naboo.”

Obi-Wan lifted the ship off the platform and smoothly merged into the air traffic above the city. “My, you certainly did go on quite the adventure with Qui-Gon then.”

“Yeah, but it’s been kinda scary,” he said quietly, watching the various lanes of ships moving to and from orbit.

“I’m sure, Anakin. I hope we can get you settled and happy and allow you to live the normal life of a boy.” He glanced over at the boy, who just stared out the viewport. “That being said, where should I set our course? Tatooine? Or Mandalore?”

The boy continued to stare out into traffic around them, watching as the sky grew darker and the stars began to make themselves known. “If I go to Mandalore, will I ever be able to see my mother again?”

Obi-Wan remained quiet for a moment. He knew that if the boy had been trained by the order, they would have forbidden him from seeing his mother. They would have instructed him to let go of his attachment to his mother. Not dwell on the past. Let go of his emotions. 

Obi-Wan was  _ not  _ the Jedi order.

He would teach his children differently than he had been raised. 

He would teach them that family was important.

If Anakin was to join their family, he wanted him to know that both his adopted family as well as his blood family should be important to him. That his mother could still be in his life, even if he lived on another planet and walked his path of destiny.

He sighed, smiled at the boy. “Anakin, if you come to Mandalore, you will gain a brother and a sister. And Satine and I will love you and care for you and keep you safe like you were our very own. But we will also make sure, somehow, that your mother remains a part of you. I promise you that.”

The ship broke through the atmosphere, and Obi-Wan moved them further away from the planet, toward open space and the hyperspace lanes. He sat quietly and watched the boy watch the stars. Already a pilot, this little one was meant to be among the stars, it was clear to see. He would give him that chance. Whatever this boy’s destiny was, he wanted to be sure he gave him every opportunity to meet it. In honor of Qui-Gon. But also because this boy, this bright little star of a boy, deserved it.

Anakin finally looked away from the stars and the blackness of space and turned to him. 

“Mandalore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, for one, like righteously angry Obi-Wan, and I'm glad his Mandalorian bride is dragging it out of him. 
> 
> Is it odd for Obi-Wan to offer to take Anakin back to Tatooine? I don't know. I think Obi-Wan wants the boy to be able to have some say over his own life, especially after being enslaved and the ups and downs of being told he would be then wouldn't be a Jedi. I think he knew the boy would choose to go with him- he'd already decided to leave him Mom, and this guy is sticking up for him against the mean dudes in robes. Might as well.
> 
> More family wholesomeness next time.....


	4. To Ease His Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kryze-Kenobi clan settle into life together, with both Satine and Obi-Wan taking actions of their own to ease Anakin's heart and soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's fluffy. At least fluffy for me. And may start to answer some questions from the last chapter.

_ 32-31 BBY _

Satine took in the scene that was their bed. Lily was in her arms, falling asleep after nursing. Anakin was draped over Obi-Wan, finally asleep again. Korkie lay between them all, doing his best impression of a Mon Cala starfish, snoring ever so slightly. 

“We’re going to need a bigger bed,” Obi-Wan muttered, groggy from the invasion.

Satine hummed softly in agreement. “If this keeps happening, yes, quite possibly.”

Anakin had been with them for a month. By day, he was settling in well enough. He and Korkie got along famously. He was a diligent if easily distracted student when working with his tutors, and was slowly working with Obi-Wan on meditation and shielding. Something she knew nothing about, but Obi-Wan seemed pleased with the progress.

But, by night, the poor boy was plagued by nightmares, and the only one that seemed to sooth him was Obi-Wan. Anakin would make his way to their room with Korkie in tow, having woken Korkie with his night terrors. And, not to be left out of the festivities, Lily would wake up along with her brothers. Obi-Wan would calm Anakin until he would fall back to sleep. Korkie would climb up between everyone, and immediately return to his slumber, taking as much space as his small frame allowed. And Lily, determined to keep as much attention on her as possible, would nurse until satisfied before dosing back off herself.

“I think Anakin should see a mind healer,” Satine said as she watched Obi-Wan rub circles in the boy’s back. 

“A  _ mind healer?”  _ Obi-Wan asked, surprised. “I didn’t think Mandalorians would believe in such things.”

Satine rolled her eyes. “At least we don’t shove our emotions down and ignore them, like some people.”

Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh. “Fair point, love.”

“We need to help him with his nightmares. He needs rest.  _ We  _ need rest. He’s been through so much upheaval in such a short amount of time, not to mention his life before us.”

Obi-Wan nodded, rubbing his chin as he always did while deep in thought. “It could be helpful for him, I suppose. Though, this is a bit out of my wheelhouse.”

“It’s worth a try, at the very least,” Satine said as Korkie kicked out in his sleep, landing a solid blow to Satine’s thigh, causing her to grunt in pain. “Ben, we need our bed back.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes twinkled with mischief for a moment. “Indeed, my dear.” He then repositioned himself under the weight of Anakin, in an attempt to find a more comfortable way to sleep. “For a few reasons.”

“I’ll speak to the head healer tomorrow, and get some referrals for him.” She moved Lily back to her bassinet beside the bed, then snuggled in next to Korkie. “And then maybe the boys will stay in their beds for a whole night or two.” She leaned across the two boys, and kissed Obi-Wan. “I love you, Ben.”

“And I love you,” he said, halfway to sleep. Satine smiles across the mess of limbs, moonlight dancing across the bed. This was a messy way to live, but she thanked the stars every day she has asked him to stay.

* * *

It took a few tries to find a mind healer Anakin trusted. Satine and Obi-Wan had been warned about this by the chief medical healer in the palace. It had made sense to Satine. She wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing her private thoughts with just anyone, and taking time to find the right person seemed obvious. Obi-Wan, bless him and his Jedi ways, has been skeptical of the whole thing. 

But on the sixth try, Anakin found a confidante he felt safe with. Dr. Airini was a small but fierce looking woman. Her posture screamed old Mando’ade to Satine. She even wore simple gauntlets of battle worn beskar. Satine was worried she would frighten Anakin, but, to her astonishment, he  _ loved  _ her. 

Dr. Airini was brusk and to the point, but Anakin would immediately begin chattering away to her as soon as he entered her presence and not stop until she left. Satine and Obi-Wan were sometimes invited to sit in on her sessions with Anakin, to answer questions or hear something particular that Anakin had to say, but most of the time, it was just Dr. Airini and Anakin.

The doctor made suggestions to help Anakin. She thought the meditation was good for him (“Of course it is,” Obi-Wan had groused. “It’s good for everyone!”), but suggested more focus on moving meditations. Anakin was a high energy child; physical and tactile, and his mind calmed and cleared the more he moved. So, Obi-Wan turned their focus to katas with wooden training sabers, and simple, repetitive, flowing patterns of movement to help still and calm Anakin’s mind. Satine would sneak away sometimes and join in, finding Obi-Wan’s soft, monotone guidance and the peaceful flowing movement as soothing for her as it was for Anakin. 

Dr. Airini also suggested that Anakin keep a journal, written as if to his mother, as a way to feel close to her. Dr. Airini had explained to Satine and Obi-Wan, the day she suggested it, that it wasn’t so much about something he would one day share with his mother- which could always be an option, show he choose, once reunited- but just a way for him to feel like she was still close and listening to him.

Anakin  _ latched  _ onto that project with fervor, writing detailed sagas every night before bed. His adoptive parents never pressed to see what he wrote- those thoughts were between him and his mother- but he would share something occasionally, or ask how to spell a word, or clarify the meaning of a Mando’a word he’d learned that day. At points during a day he might light up and exclaim, “I’m definitely telling Mom about this!”

It was all delightfully sweet. And, to everyone’s relief, it all  _ worked.  _ Within a few weeks, Anakin started sleeping without being woken by a terrible dream, and, in turn, the whole family slept. He was brighter and happier and somehow even more chaotic and energetic throughout the days. The shadows under his beautiful blue eyes faded. Obi-Wan commented regularly on how  _ peaceful  _ the boy seemed in the Force. Satine knew nothing of that, but it was clear even to her- the boy was thriving.

It was several months into Anakin’s work with Dr. Airini when Satine and Obi-Wan, blessedly alone, lay naked and tangled together early one morning, sweat drying on their skin, when he pressed his lips close to her ear and whispered, “You were right.”

She grinned back at him. “You’ll have to be more specific, my darling. I am so often right, I’m not quite sure to which particular moment you are referring.”

He snorted a little laugh and hugged her closer to his body. “Finding Ani the mind healer. You are brilliant.” He kissed her neck and made a soft little sound of contentment. “I am dazzled by you daily.”He kissed her again. “You’ve done well by your people. Your kindness and compassion is boundless. You’re an incredible and dedicated mother, even to our wild little desert child. You’re insanely beautiful.” He kissed her again, lower, moving across her shoulder blade now. “And, now that we have our bed to ourselves again, I am reminded just how much  _ fun  _ you are in it when it is just us.” She laughed, shivering a little as he peppered her skin with more kisses, and rolled over to face him fully. She pulled him down to her and kissed him deeply.

And then Lily screamed her little warrior cry, making sure all of Mandalore knew she was wide awake and ready to get on with her day. Obi-Wan chuckled, as he rested his head to Satine’s. “Excuse me, my dear. The other lady in my life seems to have other plans for us this morning.” 

Satine watched him, a soft smile on her lips, as he slipped on a robe and fetched Lily from her adjoining nursery, murmuring softly to the little baby as he climbed back into bed with her in his arms. Satine took her from him to feed her, and he settled in next to her, arm wrapped around both his ladies, and picked up his datapad to begin reviewing his schedule for the day ahead. They both sighed in contentment. 

* * *

  
  


The hologram blinked to life in Obi-Wan’s private office. 

“Kriffing Obi-Wan Kenobi. Man, I never thought I’d see your handsome face again.”

Obi-Wan grumbled, immediately questioning his own judgement for doing this. “Hello, Vos. Trust me. I rather not have need to see you again. But I’m hoping to use your particular skills for a….personal matter of mine.”

Quinlan Vos crossed his arms in front of his chest. “ _ Personal matter _ ? Is this why you went through a dozen different back channels to track me down? Instead of, I don’t know...putting in a request for help through the council?”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “I rather keep the council out of this, for all parties involved. Which is why I came to you directly. So to speak.”

Vos nodded his shaggy head and smiled. “No worries, man. You know I don’t care what the council knows. What do ya need?”

“Right. As you may or may not know, the Duchess and I adopted a boy about six months ago.”

“Oh yeah. I had heard something about that. Some little Tatooine desert stray Jinn picked up before kicking it,” Vos said, chewing on his thumb absently.

Obi-Wan bristled at the whole sentence, rubbed his eyes in frustration, and then pressed on. “Yes. Anakin is from Tatooine. I would like to track down his mother, but it’s proving difficult from my, uh, position.”

“Right, man. Being kriffing Mando royalty and all now.” The Jedi chuckled to himself.

“Anyway, I’m hoping you can help me locate her, keep tabs on her, or, better yet, help me get her freed.”

“Oh, yeah. Alright. That seems easy enough.”

“Her name is Shmi Skywalker. I don’t know her age, but clearly she’s old enough to have a ten year old child.” He paused, watching Vos make notes on a datapad. “Anakin says she has dark hair and brown eyes. Her last known master was a Toydarian by the name of Watto. From my understanding, Watto was not keen on letting Shmi go, even though Qui-Gon tried to purchase, or, well, gamble for both of them at the time. So, she may still be with him. Last known location was Mos Espa.”

Vos made a few more notations and then looked up at Obi-Wan. “Ok. That’s all helpful. Any chance you have her tracker chip number?”

“I’m afraid not,” Obi-Wan said, shaking his head.

“Cool, cool, cool. No worries.” He made another note. “What do you want me to do when I find her?”

“Well, I’d like you to buy her, if possible. I can transfer you credits.”

“Right, right. Makes sense. But you say this Watto dude isn’t keen on losing her. What then?”

“Set up some sort of passive surveillance on her, however you want to work that out, and keep me apprised of her situation.” Obi-Wan sighed. “It’s not ideal, but the boy will feel better knowing his mom is safe, I am sure.”

“You don’t seem terribly concerned about attachments, eh?” Vos said, a little smirk on his lips.

Obi-Wan couldn’t help a little laugh. “I thought the wife and three children would have already made that clear.” He grew more serious. “I just want Ani to be happy and feel safe. Knowing his mom is ok will help. However you go about surveillance, I will ensure you have the credits to make it happen.”

“No kriffing sweat, Kenobi. This is simple. I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve got more.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Funny. I was in Mos Espa about six months ago. Actually saw Jinn...couldn’t exactly out myself at the time.”

“You were  _ there?  _ Did you encounter the Sith?”

Vos shook his head, dreadlocks bouncing. “Nah, man. But I  _ felt  _ it.” He placed a hand over his heart. “Cold fucker, for sure.”

Obi-Wan grunted. “Certainly. Thank you, Vos, truly. I am very appreciative of your help. Let me know what you need.”

“No problem, Kenobi. I’ll be in touch.” The hologram fizzled out. Obi-Wan rubbed his chin for a moment, considering, once again, the threat of a Sith lord loose in the galaxy. Two, actually, if what they said about them only working as a pair was true. He thought about his three children, all bright and strong in the Force, Anakin, especially, was practically a beacon. With that thought, he called up the captain of the palace’s battalion of Protectors.

“Sir?” Captain Tol’ket greeted when the holo came to life.

“Tol’ket, are your men capable of doubling their saber drills?”

Tol’ket shrugged. “They are capable of many things, sir. If you want to double saber drills, then we shall do it.” The man paused. “Is there something I should know?”

Obi-Wan smiled. “No, no, Captain, no worries of merit. Just the worries of an overprotective father. I’ll be down to spar with some after thirteen hundred today.”

“Yes, sir. They look forward to it.”

“As do I.” He shut the holoprojector off, and, with a sigh, went to his next meeting. 

* * *

A full month went by before Vos reached out. 

“What news have you, Vos?” 

“Hey, Kenobi. I found your kid’s mom.” He picked at a cuticle while he talked. “She’s fine. Seems happy enough. That Toydarian seems ok, if anyone who owns beings can be  _ ok.”  _ He emphasized that with air quotes. “But he was a dick when approached about buying her. It’s a no-go.”

“Blast it,” Obi-Wan muttered, rubbing his chin. 

“Listen, this Watto guy has a reputation as a gambler. I’ve got close eyes on her to make sure nothing dumb happens, and may eventually push to see if we can bait him into betting her like I guess Jinn did with the kid.” Vos sighed. “Sorry I can’t do more now, but she  _ is  _ safe.”

“Thank you, Vos. That’s better than nothing.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sending you a file. Mostly bookkeeping type stuff, but there’s something else. Thought that kid might like it. I’ll keep in touch.” With that, Vos was gone.

His datapad chimed, letting him know he had an incoming message. Sure enough, Vos had sent him a file with expenses, and, attached, a holo image of who he assumed was Shmi Skywalker, clearly taken clandestinely, but a halfway decent image of her face in profile, soft smile on her lips. Obi-Wan smiled. Vos could be a raging ass and Obi-Wan had been certain for years he was crazy, but he clearly had a soft heart. With a small chuckle, he found an empty holodisc and transferred the image to it.

He carried it with him to dinner that evening, the first chance he’d had all day to see everyone together. 

“Ani, I have something for you.” He set the disc in front of Anakin’s plate, and smiled at Satine, who was watching him with narrowed eyes. 

“What is it?” Anakin said suspiciously as Korkie climbed to his knees to lean closer and study it. 

“Well, the simplest way to find out is to turn it on, yes?” Obi-Wan said, seating himself at his place.

Anakin rolled his eyes, but turned the disc on, the image of his mother springing up, in a little ray of blue light. His eyes went wide. “ _ Mom _ ?!”

Obi-Wan felt Satine’s eyes burning into him, but he kept his focus on the boy. Anakin looked up at him. “How did you do this?”

Obi-Wan smiled mysteriously. “I have my ways.”

“ _ Jetii,”  _ Satine muttered under her breath. 

“Indeed, my love,” he said, laughing.

Anakin got up and, in less than a heartbeat, had thrown himself into Obi-Wan’s lap, upsetting his dinner plate and wine glass. The child was clinging to him and crying, but through it, Obi-Wan managed to pick out a strangled “thank you.”

“Of course, my bright one.” He kissed the top of the boy’s head and gathered him closer. “I know how you worry. I now have ways to make sure she is safe.” The boy nodded into his chest. Obi-Wan tipped his head up by the chin. “And when it’s safe, we’ll go and see her, alright?”

Instead of replying, the boy just buried his head into his chest, squeezing him even harder. Obi-Wan looked up at Satine. She smiled at him, swiping at tears that rolled down her cheek.

“You are a remarkable man, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” she said with a little sigh, before calling someone to bring her husband a new plate of food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I know nothing of child psychology, but what the good Dr. Airini suggested seem like things that would be helpful to ME if I was an anxious, scared, wild mess like poor baby Anakin. And, come on. Admit it. You pictured Satine, Obi-Wan, and Ani doing vinyasa yoga or tai chi together in the garden, didn't you?
> 
> Also, I want to point out that going through multiple mind healers (aka therapists) before finding the right one is good, practical advice. I certainly have experienced both the wrong fit and the perfect fit in mental health practitioners in my life. 
> 
> I only know Quinlan Vos through that one singular episode from Clone Wars and some light research I did for him. I hope I did him a modicum of justice. He cracked me up and I like Obi-Wan as his straight man. 
> 
> I also hope this helps with some of the Shmi questions. Obi-Wan is TRYING, you guys, but nothing in life is simple. Just keep reading.
> 
> Thanks so much for all the comments and kudos and questions and general enthusiasm! It means a lot, as I've only recently gotten brave enough to share my fanfic (why it's harder to share this than the original stories I write, I'll never understand). We probably will no longer be seeing daily updates as my editing is catching up with my chapters in progress, and I always feel better having multiple chapters completed before sharing, in case I need to make adjustments as I get further into the story. 
> 
> Thanks again!


	5. Tatooine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan and Anakin set out on a long awaited trip. A difficult conversation is had upon their arrival.

_ 28 BBY _

The screams and yelps of his children sent a momentary cold bolt of terror through Obi-Wan. Until he reached out through the Force and realized they were all three shining bright with delight. Well, that was good. But there may need to be another discussion on not giving their father (and occasionally three quarters of the royal guard) heart attacks because of screaming. 

He rounded the corner into the garden and found Anakin, grinning like a tooka, floating Korkie and Lily in the air so they could grab jogan fruit from the higher branches. 

“Buir!” Lily shouted from over his head, jogan in each hand. 

“Hello, darling,” he said, grinning up at her. “Ani, I thought we talked about inappropriate use of the Force,” turning his attention to Anakin, a wry smile on his lips.

“We were picking fruit for dessert tonight!” Anakin said, lowering his sister into Obi-Wan’s arms. “This is useful use of the Force.”

“Yeah, Buir! We were being  _ useful.”  _ Korkie said as his brother plopped him into a low branch. He sat there, eating a piece of fruit, grinning at his father as if to dare him to complain. 

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but launched Lily back into the air, floating her up to grab the highest fruit on the tree. She squealed with delight at the speed and height of the toss, before grabbing the fruit. 

He pointed a finger at the two boys as he brought her back down to his arms. “Do  _ not  _ let your mother know I sent Lily up that high.” The boys nodded, giggling.

He sat Lily down to go pick flowers, taking the fruit from her, and turned to Anakin. The boy, now thirteen, had recently hit a growth spurt, and was lanky and lean with shaggy dark blonde hair and a broad and easy smile. 

“Ani, I came to find you because I thought you might like to know about our trip sooner than later,” he said with a smile. 

Anakin cocked a brow at him before turning back to make sure his brother didn’t tumble out of the tree. “A trip?”

“We’re going on a trip?” Korkie shouted, listening from where he had climbed higher into the tree. 

“I’m afraid, ad’ika, this trip is a bit too dangerous for you just yet,” he called back up into the tree, refraining from reminding him that he wasn’t  _ actually _ supposed to climb his mother’s jogan fruit tree.

“Where are we going, then, that’s safe for me but not for him?” Anakin asked. 

“Tatooine.”

The boy’s eyes grew wide with shock. “Ta-Tatooine? We’re going to see Mom?”

“Indeed. I had word that she has been freed. I’ve been trying to do it myself for years, but someone beat me to it. She’s working on a moisture farm for a man named Lars. Did you know anyone by that name?”

Anakin folded his long limbs, lowering himself to the ground, still one eye on Korkie. Obi-Wan sat down next to him, legs stretched out in front of him, keeping an eye on the tree, as well. “I kinda remember a guy by that name.” He looked over at Obi-Wan, carefully studying him. “Are we really going to see Mom?”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Why would I lie about that, of all things?”

“No, I guess you wouldn’t- move your  _ right  _ hand, Korkie!” he shouted to his brother who was struggling to climb a particularly difficult limb. “When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning. After you chat with Dr. Airini.” 

“Ahh, come on. Really?” Anakin sprawled himself backwards dramatically in the grass, flinging an arm over his eyes. 

“Yes, really.” Obi-Wan poked Anakin in the side. “She thinks it will be good to talk about expectations, sort through anything you need to before seeing your Mom.”

Anakin lay still, arm still over his eyes. Obi-Wan could sense turmoil in him. “It’ll be ok, Ani,” he said gently. 

“What if she doesn’t love me anymore?” he said quietly.

“Why wouldn’t she love you, Ani?” Obi-Wan, after ensuring the other two children weren’t in immediate peril, lay back next to him. 

“Because I’m not going to be a Jedi.”

“Oh, bright one. That is no fault of your own. That is the fault of the Jedi council being unwilling to follow through with Qui-Gon’s wishes.” He found Anakin’s hand and squeezed. “Besides, you’re still going to do good things. You already are. You don’t need to be a Jedi to do good.”

Anakin sighed heavily. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to disappoint her, is all.”

“Anakin, trust me. She will  _ not  _ be disappointed in you.” He sat up and pulled Anakin’s arm away from his eyes so he could look at him. “And this, my dear one, is why you will be having a little chat with the good Dr. Airini tomorrow. Alright?”

Anakin sat up. “Alright.” Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around him, giving him a quick hug. 

“Hey, Buir,” a small voice called from high in the tree. 

Anakin and Obi-Wan smirked at each other. 

“Yes, ad’ika?” Obi-Wan replied. 

“I, uh, I think I’m stuck up here,” Korkie called, trying to play it cool.

“What? Stuck in the tree your mother has told you countless times  _ not  _ to climb? Perhaps I should go get her so she can see your predicament?”

It was an empty threat, and Anakin knew it, as he started silently laughing. Korkie, on the other hand, was certain his father would go get his mother. “No, no, papa! Don’t get mum. She’ll  _ kill _ me.”

“I find that highly unlikely,” Obi-Wan laughed, as he lifted his hand to manipulate the Force around Korkie, and pull him free of his perch. He set the boy down in front of them, and made a mock angry face. “Young man, if you insist upon climbing your mother’s most prized jogan fruit tree, you have to at least  _ not  _ get stuck every time you do it!”

“Or fall out of it,” Anakin reminded him. 

“Yes, yes, or fall out of it.”

“Or, better yet, you could do as your mother told you and  _ not climb my tree.”  _

The three turned to see Satine, Lily in her arms, staring down at them. Obi-Wan and Anakin started to laugh. Korkie’s eyes went wide. 

“ _ Osik _ !” he hissed. 

_ “ _ Korkie!” his parents both exclaimed.

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan stood quietly while Satine hugged the breath out of Anakin at the bottom of the ramp to their waiting shuttle.

“Listen to your father. Remember your manners. Be sure your mother gets all of our gifts. Stay out of trouble.” She glanced at Obi-Wan. “No. Keep your father out of trouble.”Anakin chuckled as best he could in Satine’s crushing embrace. She finally released him to arm’s length. “I will miss you terribly, but I know how much this means to you, bright one. You have Dr. Airini’s direct commlink if you need to talk.”

“I’ll be  _ fine,  _ Satine,” Anakin said with a roll of his eyes.

“And you could, you know, comm  _ me _ , on occasion, just so I can see your handsome face.” She laid a hand on Anakin’s face, eyes shiny with unshed tears. Obi-Wan gently shoved Anakin up the ramp, and filled the space he vacated in front of Satine.

“I will at least comm you every night, my love.” He kissed her deeply, ignoring Anakin’s dramatic sounds of disgust coming from the top of the ramp. “I love you. We’ll be back soon.”

Satine stepped closer to Obi-Wan so she could lower her voice. “And will you try to bring her back to Mandalore?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Just as we discussed. But I will keep those cards close to my chest for now.”

“Good. I love you, Ben. Please be safe. I still think you should take guards.”

“I know you do, Satine, but we’re already going to be very conspicuous.” He gestured at his attire, the pristine ship. 

“Fine, fine. I trust your judgement.” She kissed him again before wrapping him in a crushing embrace of his own. “Goodbye, love.” She let him go. “Good bye, Ani! Love you!” she called up the ramp.

“Bye, Satine. Love you, too!” the boy called back.

With that, Obi-Wan followed their boy up into the ship.

Anakin was already getting the ship ready for departure when Obi-Wan caught up with him in the cockpit. He looked up at Obi-Wan expectantly. “Yes, alright, you can fly. At least until Tatooine.”

Anakin cheered then hurried to finish his tasks to ready the ship. Within seconds, the ship was rocketing off the platform, pushing Obi-Wan into the co-pilot seat with the velocity of it. “Anakin, let’s at least try and survive long enough to break atmosphere.” Anakin just grinned wickedly, pushed the throttle harder, and performed some aerobatics that made Obi-Wan’s stomach roll. Oh, he’d certainly been a menace as a young pilot himself, but Anakin made his hair stand on end. 

“Next time, Anakin, we’re taking the  _ Coronet.” _

* * *

  
  


The trip had been long but uneventful. Anakin had dutifully worked on his studies sent along with him by his instructors at the academy, and they’d played endless rounds of dejarik. Obi-Wan had even taught him how to play sabacc, under strict order not to tell Satine.

But as they landed in the so-called spaceport of Mos Espa, found a speeder to rent, acquired directions to the Lars homestead, and sped off across the desert, Anakin had grown more and more quiet. He hadn’t even pestered Obi-Wan to let him drive, and instead sat quietly in the passenger seat of the speeder, watching the barren landscape fly by. 

“Ani, it’s going to be fine, Obi-Wan said over the wind. “Better than fine, even. You get to  _ see  _ your mother. And she’s  _ free _ , Ani!” He reached over and squeezed the boy’s hand. Anakin, face ghostly pale, smiled tightly at him. 

They drove on quietly, until Anakin spotted the domed roofs of the homestead. “There it is! Oh my stars.” He smiled nervously and took a big, steadying breath. “That’s where Mom lives.”

Obi-Wan smiled at him. The boy was practically vibrating with nervous energy. “Almost there.”

“And you’re sure she’s not going to be disappointed in me?” Anakin asked. 

Obi-Wan looked at the boy, lanky, lean and boyishly handsome, proudly wearing a brand new beskar breastplate and gauntlets, his new lightsaber clipped to his belt. Both things he had earned turning thirteen, when he said the  _ Resol’nare _ and built the saber. How could a mother  _ not  _ be proud of this boy? Obi-Wan certainly was. 

“You worry needlessly, Anakin. She will be proud. And overjoyed.”

He decelerated the speeder as it approached the entrance of the sunken dwelling, and Anakin leapt from it nimbly before it even came to a stop. Obi-Wan set the speeder down and climbed out, gathering the bundle of gifts Satine had sent to Anakin’s mother. 

When he looked up, Anakin stood frozen halfway to the entrance, as a dark haired woman, no taller than Anakin, walked up the steps. She froze, hands still fisted in the apron she must have been wiping them on. She  _ stared  _ at the boy, both unbelieving and drinking him in.

“Ani?” she finally whispered.

“Mom.”

In a heartbeat, she had closed the distance between them and wrapped him in her arms. He clung to her, tears streaming down his face. Whatever shielding he had worked to build up had crumpled, and Obi-Wan was nearly knocked down by the force of his boy’s joy and relief. The air practically sang with it. He stayed beside the speeder, not wanting to intrude on their moment. 

Finally, Anakin pulled free of his mother, quickly swiping at his wet face from tears, and gestured to Obi-Wan. “Mom, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. He and his wife adopted me when the Jedi didn’t train me.”

The woman’s kind face darkened. “They took you away, but didn’t  _ train  _ you to be a Jedi?”

Anakin cast his eyes to the sand, not sure how to respond. Obi-Wan stepped up and bowed to her. “Madame, I am afraid it’s a bit of a complicated story. But please rest assured you son has been well cared for and loved since he left you.”

She gave him a critical look, taking in his fine clothes and cloak, his own beskar, his lightsaber. She looked at Anakin, and clearly noted how similarly the two were dressed.

She sighed, resigned, and gestured toward the dwelling. “Come. I want to hear this story, but we might as well get out of the suns.” She took Anakin’s hand and led them down into the cool courtyard below.

They settled at a rustic dining table in a cozy earthen home. She poured Anakin a glass of blue milk, and made tea for her and Obi-Wan. Once seated, she narrowed her eyes at Obi-Wan. “Please, Mr...Kenobi, was it? Explain why a Jedi came and took my son with promises of becoming one himself, and then refuse to follow through on that promise. Who would do such a thing to a  _ child?” _

Anakin rested a hand on his mother’s, trying to placate her. “Mom..”

“No, no, Ani, it’s alright, she is right to be angry.” He looked at the boy. “Don’t you remember how angry  _ I _ was?”

Anakin smirked a little at the memory. He nodded, gesturing for him to go ahead. 

“Madame Skywalker, I will try to be brief. Qui-Gon Jinn was my Jedi master until about ten years ago, when I left the order to be with the woman I love. Despite leaving the order, Master Jinn and I, as well as my wife, remained close until his death.”

“He died?” Shmi asked.

“Yes, only days after he took Anakin to train.” He looked to Anakin, who only nodded for him to continue. Shmi sat back in her chair, studying him.

“Master Jinn was murdered on Naboo by a dark Force wielder. He had already made his intent clear to train Anakin to the Jedi council, but when he was slain, the order refused to place your son with anyone else, stating that his age and his understandable grief over leaving you would be his downfall.”

“What? I was made to believe Anakin is powerful in the Force. What would make him so untrainable?”

“I have no doubt had Master Jinn lived, your boy would have been raised and trained to become a remarkable Jedi. He did not mislead you there. The  _ council  _ failed Anakin.  _ They  _ were afraid to take on the challenge. And for that I am sorry.” He offered her a sad half smile, but she remained stony faced.

“Moving on. My wife and I attended Master Jinn’s funeral on Naboo, where we met Anakin. When my wife found out that Anakin would not be trained as a Jedi as Master Jinn had wanted, found out that he would be more or less cast off, she made her feelings  _ very _ well known about that and we offered to adopt him.”

“What do you mean he would have been  _ cast off?”  _ Shmi asked, leaning in now.

“We were told the options for him were to be either placid in an orphanage, have him work as a servant in the temple, or to return him to Tatooine.”

“He would have come home?  _ To me?”  _ Shmi asked, heat and anger in her otherwise calm tone.

“Madame, please understand. My wife is the duchess of Mandalore. We could, and have, provided him with some of the best education to be found. I am training him to use his abilities in the Force, as Master Jinn would have wanted. Anakin wants for nothing- food, medical care, mind healers, friends, a brother and sister. And we love him, Satine and I. To us he  _ is  _ our son, just as much as his siblings.” He paused, letting it sink in. Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, an unreadable, soft look on his face. “That is what we could, what we have been able to offer him. Freedom, a chance to fulfill whatever Master Jinn saw on him. Had he come home-”

“He would have come back to slavery,” Shmi finished his thought, her face finally softening. It was sad, but understanding.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed, looking down into his tea.

There was a long silence, the air heavy with Obi-Wan’s story. Finally, Shmi spoke. “Your wife is the ruler of an entire planet?”

“Actually, an entire system of planets,” Anakin offered. 

“So my son is now a prince instead of a Jedi?” she said, with a little astonished laugh.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “If we’re being rigidly correct, technically he would be a marquess or possibly an earl. Though Mandalore isn’t terribly concerned with titles as a whole.”

“So, then you’re a duke?” she asked, curiosity growing about her son’s strange turn in life.

“No, I’m just Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he explained with a shrug. “Or occasionally husband-consort when the media feels I’m being particularly useless.”

“Or occasionally  _ di’kuut jetii,”  _ Anakin said with a laugh.

Obi-Wan snorted. Shmi looked to him for a translation. “It means ‘damn Jedi’ in Mando’a. The duchess even occasionally calls me that.” He offered her a smile, and she finally genuinely returned it.

Shmi turned to Anakin. “And you’re a good student? What are you studying? Tell me everything, Ani.”

Obi-Wan sat back and enjoyed Anakin’s descriptions of the classes he enjoyed most- engineering, galactic diplomacy, and advanced star navigation. The boy’s eyes were bright, the color had returned to his cheeks. Happiness had replaced the anxiety and fear swirling around in the Force, and pride. Overwhelming pride. From Shmi.

* * *

  
  
  


Later, Anakin showed his mother the gifts Satine had sent. There was the print of Anakin’s official portrait, done recently, after he had said the  _ Resol’nare _ . It was in the oddly beautiful impressionist style Mandalorian artists were famous for. It was accompanied by the holo from which the painting was based. 

Satine had also sent along a pair of beskar gauntlets, etched with the constellations of stars above Mandalore from the date of Anakin’s birth. Beautiful accessories rather than armor, more like what Satine herself favored. They were simple, but elegantly made, and glowed in the warm light of the home.

There was also a box of jogan fruit, from Satine’s favorite tree, an incredibly rare delicacy on Tatooine. Anakin regaled his mother with tales of lifting his younger brother and sister in the air, using the Force, to pick those very fruit. She squeezed his hand and smiled delightedly, eyes shiny with happy tears.

* * *

  
  
  


Much later, after meeting Cliegg Lars and his son, Owen, after a simple but delicious meal, Obi-Wan excused himself and went outside. As the moons rose over the desert, he commed Satine. Her beautiful face blinked into view in the blue glow of his small holoprojector.

“We miss you,” she said in greeting.

“The feeling is mutual, my dear.”

“Is he happy?” she asked.

“Immensely. He was frightfully nervous before we arrived at the Lars homestead, but now he is blissful. And he won’t shut up.”

Satine laughed gayly. “Of course. Four years makes for a great deal of catching up, Ben.” She furrowed her elegant brow in thought. “Did he bring his journal?”

“You know, I’m not sure. We gave her your gifts, but he didn’t give her that. Perhaps he’s waiting to do it in private.”

“Or he’s keeping it,” Satine added. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. She glanced off to someone near her, out of range of the projector. “Oh, dear papa, you have two here who would like to say hi.” Korkie’s face, popped into the foreground, while Satine hoisted Lily into her lap.

“Hello there, my darlings,” he said to his younger children.

“Hi, buir!” they replied in unison.

“Miss you, papa,” Lily said, waving at his image.

“Oh, my darling, I miss you so much. Not too terribly much longer, though.”

“Papa, when  _ are  _ you coming home?” Korkie asked. “The new model spaceship came today, and Ani  _ promised  _ me he’d help me build it.”

“I’ll be home soon, Kork,” Anakin said, suddenly appearing beside Obi-Wan, startling him and causing him to jump in fright, making his wife and the young ones laugh.

“Stars, Anakin. I am too old for you to sneak up on me like that,” he complained.

Anakin ignored him and greeted Satine and his siblings, and Obi-Wan moved so Anakin could fill the projection. Again he found himself watching as the boy answered his younger brother and sister’s infinite questions, told his adopted mother about his mother and her home. He smiled, and sighed contently.

Stars, he loved this boy.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do jogan even grow on trees? And do they grow on Mandalore? Who knows....I'm just going to pretend that they can grow in a giant biosphere like Sundari.
> 
> I'm taking great liberties in Mandalorian culture here, and making some stuff up to fit the Kryze-Kenobi household's combined heritage. We're going to say that saying the Resol'nare (and getting your first pieces of completely ceremonial beskar- because we are NOT a warrior people anymore, folks. Right? Sure. Right), is a rite of passage into so-called adulthood. And they threw in the lightsaber building for this trio of Force sensitive Mandos. 
> 
> I geeked out on titles of nobility (because I didn't know if Obi-Wan would be considered a duke when I wrote the Naboo chapter), and decided Shmi would be curious how these weird titles worked, too. 
> 
> Since I stay several chapters ahead in my writing, I just have to say, I'm now into the meat of the canon timeline, and it's A LOT harder than this fluffy stuff. I know where I want it to go. But, well, the Force is shrouded in mystery some times! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, kudos, and comments. I love comments, y'all! They make my day!
> 
> PS- For funnsies, if you need an image of Obi-Wan as the husband-consort to the Duchess of Mandalore instead of as a Jedi, think Elmont from "Jack the Giant Slayer," minus the facial hair (because, as Satine says, it hides his handsome face), and make it Swarzy.


	6. Goodbyes and Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving Tatooine won't be easy. In more ways than Obi-Wan bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's bright and early but I wanted to get this chapter posted before my day gets really busy!

_28 BBY_

It was the last evening of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s visit to Tatooine, and Obi-Wan sat at the dining table with Shmi and Cliegg, enjoying some brutal liquor indeginous to the planet. The trip had been a happy one for Anakin, who had spent his time with his mother or going out into the fields to help Cliegg and Owen. He’d even convinced Obi-Wan to spar with him out on the sands of the desert around the home, to show her his lightsaber skills. Shmi had beamed with pride. Obi-Wan had tried to stay in the background, often going into Mos Espa for the day to work aboard the ship and attend meetings with cabinet or clan leaders via holo. 

But there was one order of business he still needed to bring up.

“Shmi, Satine and I have been discussing an idea that may be mutually beneficial for you and Anakin and, well, us, quite frankly. It’s something we’d like to offer you.” 

Shmi gestured for him to continue with a tip of her head. 

He glanced toward Anakin and Owen hunched over a bench, tinkering with a vaporator before answering. “Satine and I would like you to come live on Mandalore. In Sundari. Housing would be arranged. Work, whatever you would need.”

Shmi studied him for a long moment before looking at Cliegg, her eyes soft and questioning. He gave a nearly imperceptible shrug. It was that moment it dawned on Obi-Wan. He’d been a blind fool the last few days. Shmi didn’t work for Cliegg. 

They were in love. 

“Oh. Oh, I see,” he said. “Well, it would be easy enough to make arrangements for all three of you, then.”

Cliegg shook his head. “I’m sorry, my friend. Your offer is kind and quite generous. But Tatooine is my home. Owen’s home.” He glanced at Shmi. Took her hand. “Shmi is a free woman, so I won’t speak for her. But I have no desire to leave.”

“You’re coming with us?”

Anakin suddenly appeared behind Obi-Wan, causing him to jump in surprise, again. 

“Blast, Ani. You have to stop doing that.” 

Anakin just grinned wickedly, then turned his eyes expectantly to his mother. “So, are you coming?”

Shmi pulled her hand free of Cliegg’s, though made no move to open the space that had closed between them. She sighed heavily. “Ani, my place is here,” she said simply. She smiled weakly at Obi-Wan. “But the offer is truly kind.”

“Then I’ll stay here,” Anakin said, unable to hide the grief in his voice. 

Obi-Wan’s heart thudded to a stop. He had anticipated this reaction if Shmi had said no. Of course Anakin would think he should stay. But it still hurt to hear the words. He turned his eyes to Shmi, who stood and walked around the table to Anakin, gathered him in her arms. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ani. You can’t stay here,” she said, kissing the top of his head. 

“But you’re here,” Anakin said quietly, burying his face into his mother’s shoulder. 

She pushed him away slightly, to look him in the eye. “And I am also in here.” She placed her hand over his heart. “You can carry me with you, Ani, but you can’t stay here. You have too many opportunities awaiting you back on Mandalore.” She gathered him close again. “You have a family who loves you on Mandalore. A little brother and a baby sister who need you. Parents who cherish you.”

“But _you’re_ my mom.”

“I am, indeed. But that’s the funny thing about families, Ani. They come in all sorts of wonderful designs. Just think. You have three parents who love you and cherish you and want the very best for you.” 

Obi-Wan felt his heart clench at the sweetness of this conversation. And the sacrifice this remarkable woman was making. He wasn’t sure he could ever be strong enough to let go of any of his children. 

Shmi went on, holding her boy close. “But, Ani, you can’t stay here. You want to do too much good, and you can’t do that from Tatooine. Go home, Ani. With your father, and do the good you’re meant to do.”

Obi-Wan stood and placed a hand on the boy’s back. “Anakin, just because you’re coming home doesn’t mean we can’t come back. And maybe when Korkie and Lily are a bit older, we can bring them, too. Wouldn’t you like them to meet your mom?”

Anakin nodded quietly, his head still nestled into his mother’s shoulder. Shmi smiled up at Obi-Wan. “I would very much like meeting them, too,” she said quietly to Anakin. 

Anakin finally pulled free of his mother, wiping tears from his cheeks. She smiled at him, and laid her hand to his cheek. “I love you, Ani. It will be ok.”

“I love you, too, Mom.” He offered her a half hearted smile. 

Obi-Wan put his arm around Anakin’s shoulder. “Come on, Ani. Let’s show Cliegg and Owen what a terrible sabacc player you are.” He led Anakin back to the table, but caught Shmi’s eye over the boy’s head. _Thank you_ , she mouthed. He smiled and nodded, wishing there was a way to express just how grateful _he_ was to her.

* * *

  
  


The morning was filled with tears and long hugs, but Anakin did not mention staying again. His journal did finally appear, though. A gift he handed to his mother with quiet words only meant for the two of them before finally climbing into the speeder beside Obi-Wan. She clutched the datapad full of Anakin’s thoughts and stories from the past four years to her chest as they pulled away, Anakin swiping at tears and sniffling, slouched in his seat.

Obi-Wan rubbed the boy’s shoulder. “You are very brave, Anakin. I know how hard that was.”

Anakin only nodded, staring ahead at the desert stretching out before them.

“We’ll come back. Maybe bring Korkie next time,” Obi-Wan offered.

Anakin nodded. “He’d like that,” he said quietly.

Obi-Wan let Anakin sit with his thoughts, but gently pushed against his mind to see just what he was feeling. He was sad, to be sure, but Obi-Wan was relieved to see that the boy seemed content, as well. Good. He may be an emotional, big hearted boy, but he could, on occasion, be practical. 

The trip to Mos Espa was uneventful and Anakin’s mood lifted as they grew closer, clearly anxious to get in the ship and back among the stars. Once the speeder was returned to its owner, it was only a short walk to the spaceport and their ship. As they turned the final corner, Obi-Wan was struck by an odd, awful sensation, and Quinlan Vos’ words from years earlier suddenly popped in his mind. _“Cold fucker, for sure.”_

Cold. He felt cold, on this sunburnt rock of a planet.

Anakin felt it, too, he realized. “I’ve felt this before, buir,” he whispered. Obi-Wan’s hand went to his lightsaber.

“Anakin, go.”

“What?”

“Anakin, go now. Get to the ship!” Obi-Wan turned and pushed Anakin into a run, the hilt of his lightsaber in his hand. As they ran, he saw Anakin follow suit, pulling free his newly built lightsaber. _He’s hardly even sparred with it yet!_ Obi-Wan thought.

They made it to the ship quickly, though it had felt like hours to Obi-Wan. As Anakin struggled to unlock and lower the ramp, Obi-Wan turned, ready, centering himself, willing himself not to think about how long it had been since he had sparred with anyone besides the Protectors he had been training with beskads and his own thirteen year old son.

It was then the monster appeared, coming out from behind some derelict ship in the berth across from theirs. The familiar zap and hum of a lightsaber igniting filled the air and an angry red blade of energy appeared in the monster’s hand.

“That’s _him,”_ Anakin hissed from behind Obi-Wan.

This was the monster that killed Qui-Gon. He was a Zabrak, red skin covered in deep, dark tattoos, a crown of menacing horns adorning his head, dressed in nothing but black ( _how impractical in these suns_ , some odd, calm part of Obi-Wan’s brain thought).

This was the monster that had taken his master, his _friend,_ the closest thing he had known as a father, from him.

This was the monster that had robbed his boy of the chance to be a Jedi, trained by the kindest, wisest, most complicated man Obi-Wan had ever known.

_Avenge him,_ some dark part of his mind whispered. 

“I’ve been sent to collect that boy,” the monster said as he continued to stride toward them, voice far too rich and elegant to come from such a face.

“I’m afraid he’s not someone I’m willing to give up,” Obi-Wan said, his voice surprisingly calm. He ignited his lightsaber, he heard Anakin’s sizzle to life behind him. “Tell your master he’ll have to add to his collection from somewhere else.”

“My master has very particular tastes. He’s waited a long time for this one. He grows impatient.” The monster swung his blade up to vertical, and a second blade ignited. _Oh, hell._

Obi-Wan readied himself but made no move. “Perhaps if you tell me who your master is, I can chat with him. Honestly, he doesn’t want this one. He eats like a gundark, in both manners and amounts, and has the bad habit of dismantling droids.”

“Hey! I always put them back together,” Anakin said, strangely jovial for the terrible situation they were in.

“Then why are there always so many pieces left over?” Obi-Wan asked casually over his shoulder. Then, under his breath, “Get on the ship. Get it ready. Get it in the air.”

“What?”

“GO, Anakin!”

The monster attacked, and Obi-Wan shoved Anakin up the ramp with a mighty shove of energy through the Force, while blocking the brute’s blow. Anakin scrambled up the ramp and disappeared into the bowels of the shuttle, while the monster swung with another brutal blow. Again, Obi-Wan blocked, then he cut his blade down hard on the Zabrak’s, pushing the blades to the sand. 

It only lasted a second, the monster was pure brute strength. He broke through Obi-Wan's pin and went to swing high. Obi-Wan blasted him with a wall of the Force, and the beast skidded backwards a few meters before regaining his traction. Obi-Wan closed the distance, though, moving him _away_ from his ship and his son. He advanced brutally, moving quickly with strong thrusts and cuts, parrying to avoid either end of the angry double blade. 

His opponent seemed taken aback momentarily by Obi-Wan’s aggression, as Obi-Wan was able to press him back even further. He continued his press, cutting, blocking, and thrusting, _willing_ the beast to move back. Then, suddenly, a storage container soared at Obi-Wan’s head, sending him ducking lest he lose it. His opponent took the opening and with an unnatural leap and spin, was now between Obi-Wan and the ship. _Damnit._

He closed the gap again, slicing at the beast’s feet from behind, only to have him jump and avoid the wild blow. He spun and pressed Obi-Wan now, reversing their roles, pushing Obi-Wan back from the ship whose engines were now ignited, whining in protest as Anakin pressed them too fast for their taste.

Obi-Wan opted for distraction to gain ground as he blocked another blow, only to jump out of the way of the other end of the blade. “Honestly, I don’t understand all the fuss. He’s just a boy, half brainless most of the time.” Block, cut, parry, thrust. “He’s a _teenager_ , for the love of the Force.” Swing, thrust, parry. “Have you ever lived with a human teenager?” Jump back, block, cut. “Until today, I would have said they were the worst.”

“You know, _Kenobi,_ I could always just take the other two, instead,” the monster countered, punching each of his blades toward his center. “They’re not as strong, but maybe a _two for one_ deal would suffice.” Then he _kicked_ Obi-Wan in the face. The shock and pain of a heavy boot connecting to his nose shook his focus for a fraction of a second, but he managed to parry the coming blow, but only just. The tip of the blade dragged across the point of his shoulder as it skipped off of his sloppy block, searing his skin with white hot pain.

Obi-Wan reached through the Force, grabbing the whole stack of containers, and hurled them at the monster. It was enough of a distraction. Anakin lifted the ship and slowly angled it above Obi-Wan, who leapt, gathering the Force to push him on to the ramp. He landed squarely and turned, saluting the beast as he scrambled from the mountain of overturned boxes, raging like an animal.

The ramp closed and sealed. Obi-Wan crumpled to the deck of the hold, spent. He steadied his breath and willed his heart to calm before dabbing at his bloodied nose. It was definitely broken, and his arm screamed from the burn of that monster’s blade slicing it, even relatively lightly.

Anakin appeared within a few minutes and took one look at him. “Satine is going to _kill_ you.”

Obi-Wan could only laugh at that.

* * *

  
  


“ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ , what the _hell_ happened!?” 

It wasn’t quite the hello he had hoped for from his wife when she caught sight of him disembarking from the shuttle.

“I told you she’d kill you,” Anakin said under his breath as he walked next to him.

Obi-Wan was frightful looking, he was sure. He’d stripped to his under tunic, soaked through with blood from his broken nose, to gain better access to the burn on his shoulder. Anakin had done his best to doctor the lightsaber burn, but he held his arm tight to his midsection to keep from jostling it too much. Anakin had draped his cloak over his shoulders to ward off the chill of the evening air in Sundari, and to give him a modicum of modesty and decorum. His face was an entirely different matter. His nose needed to be set, and his eye sockets had blossomed into angry bruises.

He closed the distance between him and Satine, and rubbed her arm with his good hand. “It looks much worse than it actually is, my love. Nothing a couple of bacta patches won’t fix up.”

She looked at him skeptically before gingerly touching his nose. “And possibly cosmetic surgery. Ben, what happened?”

He looked toward Anakin for help, but the boy just shook his head and continued on to the awaiting speeder. “We, uh, ran into some unsavory company before leaving Mos Espa.”

“Unsavory in what way? Hutts?” She took him by the good arm and began leading him to the speeder.

He sighed, shoulders sagging. “No. Sith.”

Satine froze in mid step. “I’m _sorry_?”

“I fought the Sith Lord that killed Qui-Gon,” he said with a shrug, then winced, his shoulder complaining about the movement.

“Stars, Obi-Wan. You say that like you had just run to the shops.” She remained still for a moment, deep in thought, before continuing on. “What now?”

“I’ll have to contact the council.” She nodded. “And I want to re-evaluate our security.”

“Obi-Wan, you know how I feel about this. As it is there are just too many guards underfoot,” Satine said as they stepped onto the speeder with Anakin.

“I understand, Satine, but even in peace, we have to be vigilant.” He looked at Anakin, who cast his eyes to the platform of the speeder, unwilling to enter this debate.

“I don’t like this,” she said.

“I know, my love. But there are unreasonable monsters out there that are after _our children._ We have to have some measures intact.”

“He was after _Anakin?”_ she gasped, eyes flashing to her eldest. Anakin looked up at her, and nodded. He had heard what the monster had said. “But why?” 

“I can only imagine,” Obi-Wan said, shrugging more gently this time. She sighed, resigned, and rested her head on his good shoulder, fingers twined together. 

* * *

  
  


“This is disturbing news, indeed,” Mace Windu’s hologram said.

“Jedi guardians send to you we should,” Yoda said.

“No, masters, that won’t sit well with the duchess, I’m afraid,” Obi-Wan said, wincing as the medical droid hit a particular sensitive point while cleaning his wound.

“Forgotten, has she, that protected _she_ was by Jedi? Hmm?” Yoda asked, raising a strange green eye brow.

Obi-Wan refrained from reminding the council that one of those Jedi had become her husband and the other she had come to love like a father. “No, not at all, Master Yoda,” he sighed. “It’s just that the duchess has become wary of the order after the…. _events_ that brought Anakin to us. She isn’t terribly keen on having Jedi around the children.”

“Despite her children and her husband all being Force sensitive?” Master Koon asked.

“Not despite, no. _Because_ the children are Force sensitive. Masters, do understand, she was quite upset at how Anakin was treated. She still is.”

“Held grudges should not be. Let go Jedi should,” Yoda commented.

“Ahh, yes, but Satine is not a Jedi now, is she?” Obi-Wan said, laughing lightly.

“No, she’s a kriffing Mandalorian,” Windu grumbled. Obi-Wan felt he should have been offended, but Windu wasn’t wrong. She was strong willed and fiercely protective of her children. If she didn’t want Jedi around, there would be no Jedi around.

“Masters, please. I only contacted you so you would know that the Sith has surfaced again. We should all be mindful that they _do_ exist and are still active. For what purposes, I do not know,” Obi-Wan said, trying to bring the insufferable call to an end.

“Yes, you are right. Thank you, Kenobi, for bringing this to our attention,” Mace said. “Please let us know if anything changes.”

Obi-Wan bowed in response, and the holograms blinked out. He sighed heavily, turning to watch the droid finish caring for the lightsaber burn. He had better ideas than dragging the Jedi into his home. He hoped they were good ideas.

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan found Tol’ket late the next afternoon, standing on a platform above a large training gymnasium. A dozen or so of the palace guards, Protectors all, were sparring with their beskads. Anakin was among them, practicing with one of the guards, using his lightsaber. The boy was quick and skillful, keeping the older, well trained Mandalorian on his toes.

Tol’ket nodded as Obi-Wan came up beside him. “Anakin told me about your encounter, sir.”

Obi-Wan grunted, but held off on replying right away, choosing to watch Anakin. He saw Korkie, on the sidelines below, watching his brother with rapt attention, his own wooden training saber by his side.

Obi-Wan finally answered. “I had hoped it was something we were going to be able to forget about. I was mistaken. If I believed in luck, I would have said we got lucky on Tatooine.”

“There is definitely no such thing as luck, sir. From Anakin’s account, skill and prowess saved you and the boy.” Tol’ket kept his eyes on his guards, looking for weak points in their own skills. There were none.

“Yes, perhaps. This is all good, Tol’ket,” he gestured down at the sparring. “But we need to do more. Be better prepared.”

“Agreed, sir. What did you have in mind?”

Obi-Wan thought for a moment, recalling ancient history regarding Jedi and Mandalore. “Mandalorians didn’t use blasters against Jedi during the Mandalorian-Jedi War, did they?”

“No, sir. Jedi can block blaster bolts. Well, I suppose you would know that. They used slug throwers.”

“Hmm. Does the guard carry them now?” 

“No, sir. I don’t even know if we have any that aren’t ancient and well past their usefulness,” Tol’ket said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Look into it, will you. I’d like the palace guard and anyone with the children or the duchess to carry them. As well as they’re blades and standard blasters.”

“Sir, the duchess isn’t going to like that. You know her feel-“

“I’m very aware, Tol’ket. I will deal with the duchess. I’m not asking you to wage war. I just want the family protected.” 

“I understand, sir. I will look into procuring the proper weapons.” Tol’ket said, giving a stiff, rigid nod. 

“Good man.” Obi-Wan patted the man on the shoulder as he excused himself, gathered a wooden training saber and went to work with Korkie. 

  
They _all_ needed to be ready to defend themselves now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me over Shmi. Don't forget- she DID marry Cliegg Lars in canon, and while this is "canon divergence" we ain't losing all of it!
> 
> Fun Story: I wrote this chapter awhile ago and have gone back and reread it a hundred times, each time thinking I would change the whole pre-fight and fight scene. But each time I did, I would be like "nope. This is very Kenobi and very Maul. They would definitely stand around talking shit politely before finally fighting, even if Obi-Wan probably could get away halfway easily." So, I left it alone. Because these are my boys and I know them well enough to know that they are ridiculous (even without the whole "Obi-Wan cut me in half" thing).
> 
> The idea of Mandos using slug throwers (guns with bullets, essentially) against Jedi may or may not be based on an extremely dubious source, but it makes me laugh, and I've wanted to put it in a story for awhile. 
> 
> Thanks again for ALL the kudos and comments. You give me life while I tear my hair out over a particular chapter you will eventually get to see.


	7. State Affairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go awry during a summit the Duchess reluctantly hosts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm celebrating finally wrangling a difficult chapter into submission and then making quick, decisive (and entertaining?) work of the next one by posting a chapter today! Thanks for the many kudos and comments and just freaking reading this. I'm having a blast, and I can't wait for you all to see where it goes!

_ 26 BBY _

Obi-Wan focused on maintaining a serene face and calm breathing, willing himself to remain tranquil. Beside him, Anakin and Korkie squirmed and fidgeted. “Be still,” he hissed. He could feel Satine’s eyes flick to him and their sons briefly as she continued to chat with Bail Organa of Alderaan. The boys rolled their eyes, but took steadying breaths like their father, squared their shoulders, and duplicated their mother’s perfectly practiced benevolent half smile, the thought of their father’s bribe for good behavior- a trip to Tatooine for the Boonta Eve Classic- clearly on their minds.

He didn’t blame them. He’d rather be anywhere than in a receiving line, too. Anakin had a derelict speeder bike he’d somehow acquired (the mystery of exactly _how_ he acquired it was still unsolved) that was in several thousand pieces in the palace’s garage. He knew Anakin itched to get back to rebuilding it to be, Obi-Wan was sure, ten times faster than it was ever meant to go. Korkie, if not shadowing his older brother in the garage at this time of the evening, was usually either studying or brow beating some poor off duty Protector into sparring with him. At almost eleven years old, Korkie was, quite literally, counting the days until he turned thirteen and would be allowed to build his lightsaber, like his older brother.

Satine, despite her smile and usual grace, would probably prefer to be elsewhere, Obi-Wan mused. She had been furious when Senator Merrik had told her that Chancellor Palpatine had all but invited himself and this ridiculous summit to Mandalore. “We can’t refuse, your grace,” Merrik had said, Prime Minister Almec nodding solemnly beside him. 

Satine had looked to Obi-Wan in that moment, hoping for backup. But he had grudgingly agreed with the senator and prime minister. “I’m afraid it’s well past time to show the Republic what you’ve built, my dear.” The look she had flashed him could have melted the ice on Ilum. 

And now he paid the penalty for his treachery in agreeing with the senator and prime minister by pretending he enjoyed small talk with  _ politicians. _ Senator Organa finished his chat with Satine, and moved along to Obi-Wan. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, it is good to see you so well,” the man said heartily. They had met briefly, when Obi-Wan was much younger and still Qui-Gon’s padawan. He’d liked the man then, and it was clear now that the life of a senator hadn’t changed him. Not yet, at least.

“You, as well, Senator. Thank you for joining us here in our home,” he said smiling. “May I introduce you to our sons, Anakin Skywalker and Korkie Kryze-Kenobi.”

The boys both smiled, genuinely, shaking his large hand and bowing politely. “Handsome young men you have here, Obi-Wan. I understand there’s a third?”

“Ahh, yes, Lily. At five years old really doesn’t have the attention span for state functions, I’m afraid. A bit too….high energy.”

The boys both snorted with laughter, and even Satine, who must have overheard his understatement of the year, hid her laugh in a dainty little cough. Lily, despite her angelic appearance, had grown from an active, precocious toddler, into an absolute hair raising terror. She went about her young life loudly, dramatically, and with as much chaos as her small body could manage. Despite that, she was sweet and kind, if terribly blunt, even for a five year old with little verbal filter. 

Bail chuckled, apparently picking up on the family’s inside joke. “Well, I’m sure she comes by it honestly. Still, I would love to meet her. I’m a sucker for children.” He smiled, and excused himself, moving further down the line.

It was later, long after the Kryze-Kenobi family survived the receiving line for the event none of them had wanted to attend or even host, after yet another senator excused herself from their presence, that Satine tugged gently on Obi-Wan’s arm. “What’s  _ he  _ doing talking to the boys?”

He followed her cold gaze to where Anakin and Korkie stood near a table of confections, each a glass of fizzpop in their hands, talking to the Chancellor himself.

“Why don’t we find out, my dear?” Obi-Wan asked, gently leading her toward the trio. “Chancellor, how grateful we are to have you in our home,” Obi-Wan said, putting on his most charming smile. “I see you are getting reacquainted with our sons.”

“Ahh, Duchess Kryze, Mr. Kenobi, thank you for your hospitality.” Obi-Wan suppressed the reflex to wince as Satine dug her nails into his arm. He could practically read her thought-  _ how is it hospitality when you’re all but invaded? _ “You’re raising remarkable young men with these two, I see. I was just chatting with Anakin about the possibility of an internship in my office.” Anakin flashed Obi-Wan a pained look.

“That’s very kind of you, Chancellor,” Satine replied. “However, we plan on keeping Anakin on Mandalore for his schooling until he’s a bit older. After that, he has expressed interest in the Apprentice Senate, and has also received invitations to intern with some of Mandalore’s  _ friends,  _ not to mention with our own Senator Merrik.  _ If  _ he chooses to go into such line of work.” She smiled at Anakin. “Our boy is a bit of a humanitarian, after all.”

“Oh, well, good. Good to know such a bright young man has many options,” Palpatine said, patting Anakin on the shoulder. Obi-Wan noticed him flinch, ever so slightly, at the touch. “I have to say, Anakin, I was sad to hear that you would not train as a Jedi.”

“I’m not,” Anakin said, a sharp edge to his voice. “I have far more opportunities here than I ever would have had as a Jedi. Besides, I have a family now.” Obi-Wan’s chest swelled with pride and love for his eldest. 

Just then the doors crashed open and a mighty, but high pitched, warrior whoop echoed through the grand state room.

_ Lily _ .

Obi-Wan spotted her immediately, running full tilt through the crowd of senators and dignitaries, brandishing a wooden training saber.

“Stars, Lilly Bo,” Satine sighed, rubbing her forehead. 

The boys started laughing, moving to flank their sister in an attempt to herd her toward Obi-Wan, a now familiar scenario. “Excuse me, Chancellor. Duty calls.” Obi-Wan gave a quick bow, and moved to wrangle the small blonde wrecking ball. Somewhere across the room, a table toppled and someone yelped. As he moved away, he heard Satine mutter an apology before taking advantage of the chaos to leave Palpatine’s presence.

Obi-Wan moved through the crowd, following the wake of destruction and shouts of surprise before finally cornering Lily, who was in the process of scaling a pane of the stained glass windows, somehow finding footholds in the framework. “Hello there, Lily,” he said.

The little girl whirled, dropping to the floor gracefully, training saber rather expertly brought to ready position in front of her. “Oh, it’s you, buir! I was looking for you.” She said, stepping over to her father.

“So I noticed,” he said, gesturing nonchalantly at the cleaning droids already buzzing around, once again, picking up the pieces of Lily’s destruction. He scooped her up and began walking through the crowd, smiling and nodding, casually, as if his child hadn’t just single handedly laid siege to the party. “I have so many questions for you, little one, but the first is,  _ how  _ did you get a training saber?” He gently pried it from his daughter’s hand. He was taking a breath to begin a lecture on not brandishing weapons during state functions when Tol’ket came rushing in. He stopped in the doorway, eyes scanning, until he caught sight of Obi-Wan. With as much calm as the man could muster, he began making his way to Obi-Wan, making apologetic noises as he moved through the guests. 

“She’s chaos, Tol’ket, but she hardly needs to be arrested by the Protectors,” Obi-wan said with a grin and a wink.

“Sir, we need you in the guard office,” Tol’ket said, just above a whisper, ignoring Obi-Wan’s quip.

“Tol’ket, I am a bit indisposed at the moment,” Obi-Wan said, gesturing with Lily’s training saber at the crowd, now more or less back to hobnobbing.

“It’s of utmost urgency, sir.” 

Obi-Wan studied the man, then gently brushed against his mind. The man was torn through with concern. Tol’ket was typically unflappable. “Hmm, alright. Let me hand Lily off and I will be with you.”

Tol’ket nodded and moved back toward the doors, while Obi-Wan headed toward his family, who were now being regaled by some tale told by the senator from Ryloth, Orn Free Taa. 

“Obi-Wan, just in time. Senator Taa was just about to share with us how one prepares and eats Felucian snails,” Satine said, leaning over to kiss and caress Lily’s cheek. The boys both looked positively green. 

“Perhaps another time, Senator,” he said, bowing slightly to the rotund senator. “I’m afraid, my dear, that I am needed in the guard office for a moment.” He handed Lily to Anakin, her saber to Korkie. “Watch. Her.” Lily threw her arms around Anakin’s neck and began rambling on about her great escape from the latest set of nannies. Obi-Wan couldn’t quite hear what she was telling him, but he was chuckling at whatever it was.  _ He probably coached her,  _ he thought.

Satine’s brow pinched with concern. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure. Just a small matter. I’ll be back shortly. Please don’t hold dinner for me.” He kissed her on the cheek, bowed to the senator and turned to rejoin Tol’ket. 

On their way down the corridor, he encountered Lily’s nannies, following the trail of destruction left in Lily’s wake One nanny was soaking wet. He decided he didn’t want to know how that occured. “She’s with Anakin, ladies. Take the rest of the night off. We’ll handle her.” He could practically taste the relief that washed off them as they turned back down the halls to the family’s private apartment.

Obi-Wan jogged to catch up to Tol’ket. “What’s the situation?”

“We have a man in custody claiming there will be an attack on the palace this evening,” Tol’ket explained, keeping his tone hushed. “He’s short on details, and is badly injured. I’ve already deployed guards to search the grounds. More are on their way to the state room now to assist once we know what we’re dealing with. I thought you should question him. You’re more….persuasive than I am.”

Obi-Wan swallowed down the wave of panic that hit him. “Shouldn’t we move the guests now?” he asked as they rounded the corner into the guard offices. 

“We don’t know  _ what  _ we’re dealing with, sir, so we don’t know if we should move everyone deeper into the palace or  _ out  _ of the palace.”

“Yes, yes. Good point.” 

Tol’ket led him to a man, shackled to a chair at a table in the corner of the office. The wiry man was in dire straits, his face bloodied and blackened, blood coming from his nose and one ear. “Get this man a medic,” he hissed.

“Sir, we don’t know if he’s an enemy-”

“I don’t care, Tol’ket. We do not let anyone sit in our care and custody in this state.” Tol’ket and the other Protectors stood frozen. Obi-Wan snapped his fingers. “Medic. Now.” A Protector jumped into action and began requesting a medic over his commlink.

Obi-Wan pulled a chair up in front of the man and sat down. “Friend, we’re getting someone to come take a look at you. Can you tell me what you know? Who did this to you?”

The man’s head lolled around until he could raise his blackened eyes to meet Obi-Wan’s. “That beast. That beast crossed me,” the man rasped.

“What beast? What are you talking about?”

“He said if I did it, I’d get rewarded if I told...not sure why he wants me to tell....” the man trailed off, eyes rolling back.

Obi-Wan grabbed him by the chin. “Come now! What do you know?”

The man focused back on Obi-Wan. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

“That’s quite obvious, my friend. You’re certainly not dressed for a party.” Obi-Wan took a steadying breath, then gently passed his hand in front of the man’s face, gently pushed a suggestion into his mind. “You will tell me what you know.”

“I will tell you what I know,” the man said, face blank. Then he sat for a moment. Obi-Wan  _ leaned  _ slightly on his mind, trying to be gentle, considering the state of him. “There’s a bomb…” the man breathed out. Tol’ket stepped closer to catch details “...east side of the palace…” The man’s eyes glazed again, and Obi-Wan leaned into his mind again, a little harder.

“Come on now, when is it to go off?” 

The man’s eyes rolled to look at Obi-Wan. “Soon.” He went limp, slumping awkwardly in the chair. Tol’ket was already in action, on his commlink sending commands to move the family and guests, all in the state room on the east side of the palace. Obi-Wan placed a hand on the man’s pulse point, felt nothing. He sat there for a moment, lost in thought. Something tickled in his mind. Something the man had said. He stood up, and pushed the dead man back in his chair. It was then he saw it. 

He’d been run through with a lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Satine, damnit, don't be such an isolationist. But then again.....
> 
> And, yes, of course, the youngest Mando Kenobi requires TWO nannies.


	8. Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boring state function takes a near disastrous turn, causing Satine and Obi-Wan to butt heads in the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bringing in a couple of new perspectives today! I hope I do them justice. 
> 
> Thanks again for all the kudos and comments. Honestly, I can't even begin to describe how much I love reading your thoughts. The world is weird and awful, but taking a break from it with a silly story and sharing it with people who enjoy it is just what I need right now!

_ 26 BBY _

It seemed like one moment, Anakin was trying not to laugh at Lily’s rambling, childish story on how she Force pushed one of the nannies into the bathtub, and the next moment, they were being herded out the door, out into the gardens, tightly packed together by four Protectors.

“What’s going on?” Satine asked, holding Korkie’s hand as she rushed to keep pace with the guards.

“There are reports of imminent danger, your grace,” the leader said, leading them across the sprawling gardens.

Satine looked over her shoulder at Anakin, then behind him as throngs of dignitaries were moved deeper into the palace. “Why aren’t we going to the bunker with everyone else?”

“We’ve been ordered to move you to another location, away from the palace,” the commander answered sternly.

“By  _ who?  _ This isn’t protocol,” Anakin said, indignant, his gut rolling with doubt. He felt the Force shouting at him, telling him  _ something _ . Obi-Wan’s hyper vigilance regarding the family’s safety had been ratcheted into high gear since their encounter two years earlier on Tatooine with the Sith they now knew as Darth Maul. They had run drills countless times. And heading into the gardens was  _ never  _ one of them.

“There’s been a change in protocol due to new information,” the guard growled.

Korkie made a disgusted sound as he was dragged along by his mother. “You don’t just  _ change  _ proto-”

The air around them suddenly seemed to burst to life, the ground shook beneath their feet as Anakin instinctively covered Lily’s head, curling his body around hers. Satine had pulled Korkie to her, mirroring Anakin’s posture around the smaller boy. Anakin could feel the heat of the explosion on his back.

As the ringing in his ears lessened, he turned to look. The east end of the palace was ablaze, the fine stained glass windows blown to bits. Behind him, Satine gasped, Korkie choked down a sob. Lily squirmed herself loose of Anakin’s protective grasp and craned around in his arms to look. 

“Buir! No, papa! Ani, buir was still in there! No!” She began sobbing, her small frame shaking. Anakin pulled her down to his shoulder again, and reached out with his mind, picking through signatures in the Force until he felt it. That warm, safe, familiar glow, very much alive, and panicked. 

“It’s ok, Lily. He’s ok, look, vod’ika,  _ feel.”  _ He pushed gently into her mind, and guided her to the warm glow. She gasped, then let out a breath in a rush of air. Relaxing in his arms.

He turned to see Korkie, eyes closed, reaching out on his own, a small upturn of his lips. He felt their buir, too. Satine looked at Anakin, worry etching her face, hair falling in her eyes from where her elegant updo and headdress had come loose. “He’s ok,” he said. She sighed with relief.

“Your grace, we must keep moving,” the guard said, tugging gently on Satine’s arm. She shook him loose with a withering look, but turned to continue following, deeper into the gardens, away from the palace.

A shockwave of coldness hit Anakin next. Lily shuddered in his arms and snapped her head up to look at him. She’d felt it, too. In front of him Korkie stiffened and slowed, as the cold sank into him. 

_ No. _

Ten meters ahead of them, the night air suddenly was chased away with a brilliant, menacing red glow. Satine halted in her tracks, tucking Korkie firmly behind her.

“I see you brought the whole family to me,” the voice, that strangely distinguished voice, came from behind the blade of red light. “You’ve done well, gentlemen. Thank you.”

“You  _ brought  _ us to him? This is treason!” Satine growled. 

The blade of light moved closer, and now the face began to take shape out of the shadows. Yellow eyes glowing against red skin and inky black tattoos. “Perhaps your fearsome Protectors aren’t as loyal as you are to think, your grace,” Maul purred. “If they can be so easily bought and manipulated.”

Lily started to squirm again, but Anakin held her head down against his shoulder, not wanting her to see this nightmare turned reality. He hummed softly to her, trying to cloak her with comfort in the Force, but his own emotions were too high, too raw. 

Satine stepped backward, pressing the four of them closer together, trying to put more room between them and Maul. “Duchess, there is a simple solution to all of this,” Maul said, stepping toward them, closing the distance slowly, but in large, smooth strides. “Give me Anakin Skywalker-” he pointed the tip of his angry red blade at Anakin- “or I’ll kill  _ you,  _ and take the whole lot of them.”

“I’m not giving you  _ anyone. _ My children aren’t commodities to be bargained with.”

  
  


“Come now, your grace. He’s not even  _ yours.  _ He’s just a stray.” Maul chuckled. “Would you really risk your true offspring, the ones with Mandalorian blood pumping through their veins, for the trash that the Jedi didn’t want?”

Satine growled in rage. “Anakin is as Mandalorian as they are, and he absolutely is mine, you monster!” The guards tightened their ranks around them, pushing them forward. 

“No...I can feel it in you, Duchess.” Maul closed his eyes, as if breathing in and savoring the emotions swirling in the air. “You wish he would just stay on Tatooine with his desert rat of a mother.” Another deep inhale. “Yes...you hope each time he won’t come back. But then he does, taking your time and devotion away from your  _ blood.” _

Satine’s face screwed up in disgust. “NO. I  _ love  _ Anakin, he is my  _ son.”  _ She suddenly produced a delicate stun pistol from the folds of her gown and took quick and steady aim, firing at Maul between the shoulders of the guards in front of her. Anakin had  _ never  _ seen Satine brandish any weapon, nor had Korkie, who glanced up quickly at him in shock. But it was for nothing, because Maul deftly blocked the bolt with a chuckle, sending it uselessly into the ground.

“It’s pointless, your grace. Give me the boy, or die.” Maul gestured to the guards, who moved to form a wall behind the four of them.

“No.” Anakin pushed in front of Satine, handing her Lily. He gently pushed Lily’s head into the crook of Satine’s neck, whispering to her to keep her eyes close. He locked eyes with Satine as he unclipped his lightsaber.

“Ani…” Satine whispered.

“It’s ok, Mum.” He kissed her cheek, before stepping in front of her. “No,” he said again to Maul.

“Ahh, the pet desert rat is a bold one, I see,” Maul said, now pacing back and forth. “Very well. I will kill you  _ and  _ your so-called mother, and take the young ones.” His yellow eyes locked to Anakin’s. “They will be... _ useful  _ to my master.”

“You aren’t taking any of us!” Anakin ignited his blade and charged. 

Maul was ready for him, and handily blocked Anakin’s first blow. Anakin spun and swung toward the monster’s side, but was blocked with a sharp parry, Maul swinging their blades together with a powerful swivel. When the blades released at the peak of the arc, Anakin stumbled back, only to pounce forward again, swinging wildly at Maul’s head. Blocked again, Maul jabbed forward with his blade, causing Anakin to jump back.

“You’re a scrappy one, desert rat, even if you had to learn from an untrained drop out,” Maul growled.

“He bested you last time,” Anakin taunted.

“With cheap tricks, youngling. He’s no match for me, and neither are you.” Maul swung hard from high, but Anakin blocked it, pushing up against the force of the blow, trying to push Maul off, away from his family. He felt his legs giving way to the sheer physical power of this monster, and with the thought of his younger brother and baby sister, his mother, behind him, he pulled the Force around him like armor, and  _ pushed.  _ Maul was flung back, two, maybe three meters, and Anakin pounced yet again.

Pressing, blocking, cutting, thrusting, every move was met or countered just as savagely. Maul was relentless and savage and absolutely pushed Anakin to his very limits. He swallowed down his fear of failing, of letting this monster strike him down if he fatigued, and taking Korkie and Lily, and kept moving.

Suddenly, as if they materialized from nothing, Obi-Wan, Tol’ket, and four other guards rushed forward, engaging Maul with lightsaber and beskar blades alike. Anakin froze for a moment, startled and dazzled by the display. Then, with a shake of his head, he was back in it, alongside Obi-Wan. 

Maul had ignited the other blade now, and was moving gracefully, like some savage dancer, defending himself against the two lightsabers and five beskar blades. With an unnaturally fast spin, he caught one Protector off guard and ran him through, the man crumpling to the ground in a heap. He smiled wickedly. “Your clever use of beskar isn’t enough,  _ Kenobi.  _ I will cut you all down one by one-”

For the second time that night, the sky seemed to come alive. Jetpacks blazing, a dozen Mandalorian Protectors flew in from above, taking aim on Maul. Anakin watched in astonishment. The blasters looked like no blaster he had ever seen. Loud pops echoed through the air as they fired on Maul, mini explosions propelling projectiles instead of energy. Maul tried to block the shots, only to be caught in the shoulder by a projectile instead. Another one hit him, causing him to jerk back again. The Protectors continued to fire, landing glancing blows along with peppering the ground at Maul's feet, causing him to jump.

“This isn’t over,” Maul howled, and took off, into the night, Protectors flying, hot on his heels.

The sudden silence was deafening. Obi-Wan and Anakin disengaged their blades and turned to Satine and the younger children. Obi-Wan closed the distance between them in three swift steps, gathering Satine and Lily into his arms. The moment he touched her, Satine began to sob, legs giving way. Obi-Wan gently lowered her to the ground, pressing Lily between them, speaking softly as he rocked them both gently.

Anakin stepped to Korkie, whose eyes were still wide with horror.

“What was  _ that _ , Ani?” the younger boy whispered.

“Bad news, Kork. Bad kriffing news.” Anakin wrapped his arm around Korkie’s small shoulders and pulled him protectively against him. Korkie seemed to wilt against him, closing his eyes.

Anakin turned to Tol’ket, who was leaning over the downed guard, checking for vitals. “Tol’ket, we were brought out here by four Protectors who betrayed us. They must have run in the chaos.” Tol’ket stood and nodded, before waving the other three Protectors off to go search, barking commands into his commlink. 

Anakin pulled Korkie over to their parents, dragging him down to kneel next to them. Obi-Wan dragged Anakin to him, pulling him and Korkie into the circle of his and Satine’s arms. “Good job,” he whispered in his ear as he held his tight, kissing the top of his head. “Good job, son.”

* * *

  
  


It was the middle of the night. Obi-Wan leaned against the desk in Satine’s private study in their residence, thankfully mostly untouched by the blast. Satine, in her nightgown and robe, paced in front of him, angry, exhausted, and frustrated.

Despite the light show, the explosion had done little true structural damage to the palace, beyond the broken stained glass and an easily extinguished fire. Every one of their guests had escaped unharmed, thanks to the quick work of the Protectors and staff. A few house staff were being treated for lacerations from the shattering and falling glass, but it had been dramatic, yet remarkably uneventful. 

Three of the four traitors had been caught. The fourth was found dead, head summarily removed by a lightsaber. Darth Maul slipped through the grasp of the Protectors somehow, leaving only a trail of blood that tapered off into nothing, and the three dead bodies.

The children were distraught, particularly Korkie, having seen much of what went on, but they had finally settled in the family’s lounge with one of Lily’s child friendly holoreels blaring. The last time Obi-Wan had looked in on them, they were all three asleep on the sofa, the younger ones piled and draped across Anakin.

Now all that was left was Obi-Wan’s dawning understanding of what had occurred- the too well timed warning of a dying man and the explosion, all a ploy to separate the children from the palace- and Satine’s fury. At him.

“I can’t believe you, Ben! Going behind my back and arming the Protectors with even more weapons.” She stopped, whirling on him. “Weapons and  _ jetpacks.  _ Things that I thought had gone the way of the Death Watch.”

“I did those things to protect our children, Satine. And it worked,” Obi-Wan said, for the hundredth time since moving to the study to avoid waking the children. “Lightsabers can’t deflect projectile weapons. I used old Mandalorian knowledge once used against  _ my  _ people to protect  _ our  _ children from a Sith Lord.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes, exhausted and raw.

“It’s as if we’re living in the midst of a militia, Obi-Wan. I won’t tolerate it. It’s far too much.”

“We are  _ not  _ living in the midst of a militia.  _ Your  _ guards are now armed and trained against all threats you and your children may face. They proved that tonight! Blast it, Satine. Why can’t you see that? Why are you so angry about this?”

“Because you didn’t  _ tell _ me,” Satine shouted, growling in frustration. “You made this decision without  _ me.” _

“Would you have let me move forward with it if I had told you?” he asked, keeping his tone low.

She crossed her arms and stared at him for a long moment, then finally sighed. “No.”

“I thought as much.” He closed the distance between them, gently holding her still at her elbows. “You  _ must  _ understand, Satine, this is not a normal being we are dealing with. We are talking about someone powerful in the Force, but fueled by anger and fear. The Sith will not stop for anything if there is something they want. And, apparently, they want our son.” He pulled her gingerly to him, expecting her to push him away in her anger, but she came to him willingly. “We have to approach this differently than just your standard mad man with a blaster. I’m not raising an army, my love. And we’re not going to sit down with a Sith and negotiate our way out of this. I’m just preparing those we trust as best I can to defend our home and our children against such evil.”

“I don’t like it,” she said, tucking her head into the crook of his neck. 

“I don’t like it, either. But we do what we must.” They stood like that for a few moments, Obi-Wan rubbing gentle circles into Satine’s tense back, gently trying to flood her mind with peace. They were both so tired, but still awaited news from Tol’ket on anything he could gather from the traitors.

Satine suddenly pushed away, looking up at him, her brow pinched in thought. “Also, may I add that I do  _ not  _ like the Chancellor’s interest in Anakin?”

Obi-Wan snorted a derisive laugh at the swift direction change of discussion. “Huh. Well, I tend to agree with you. I can’t sense anything nefarious from him. But it is odd. I would think there would be plenty of deserving young people from Naboo who should be offered internships well before Anakin.”

“Yes, thank you, exactly.” She pushed away completely, returning to her pacing. “I wish I could put my finger on just what it is about him. I’ve just always found him….off putting.”

Obi-Wan moved to sit on the sofa, adrenaline wearing off and making him aware of sore muscles and exhaustion. “It’s because he’s a politician.”

Satine laughed. “You like Bail and he’s a politician. You like  _ me _ and I’m a politician.” She sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“You’re not a politician, my love. You’re the duchess,” Obi-Wan said simply.

“You’re ridiculous. And infuriating.”

“I have my moments.”

The door chimed just then, and Obi-Wan beckoned the visitor to enter. It was Tol’ket.

“Your grace, sir, I wanted to report what we’ve learned from the suspects and of the man who informed us of the bomb.” Satine waved her hand for him to continue. “The informant had been employed by the palace for a few months, so he was familiar with protocol and had access to the grounds. However, we did find this tattoo on him.” He activated a holodisc, and a tattoo on the man’s chest flashed above his hand. The Death Watch symbol.

“Death Watch? They’re all but extinct.” Satine jumped to her feet, resuming her pacing. 

“Yes, your grace,” Tol’ket nodded. “We have no way of knowing if Death Watch even has anything to do with or if it was merely coincidence. The three Protectors say they have no affiliation with Death Watch.”

“You trust that?” Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They have been in my battalion for several years. They are all from houses and clans that are loyal. I have no reason to doubt.” 

“Then why did they turn?” Obi-Wan stood and walked to the window, looking off at the edge of the blast zone to the left. 

“From what they say they were offered ridiculous sums of money and fast passage off planet once the mission was complete. They were recruited by the Death Watch man, and only knew where to take the children, but not who they were being taken to.” Tol’ket sighed. “My gut says this Maul character never intended for any of them to receive their pay, especially the informant, who I suppose was more a distraction than an informant, really. I think Maul meant to slaughter all of them.”

“Kill them all, so there’s no one left for us to track down and make talk,” Satine said, now paused in her pacing, staring at the floor. 

“Exactly, your grace.”

“Then why didn’t he kill the rest?” she wondered. 

“We surprised him. Possibly even Anakin surprised him,” Obi-Wan replied. 

“He thought I would willingly give up my  _ child?” _

“No. He didn’t expect said child to hold his own. And he didn’t expect our defense.” Satine rolled her eyes at that, but refrained from commenting on it further.

“But now he will,” Tol’ket said, finishing the thought. 

“Indeed.”

* * *

After Tol’ket excused himself, Obi-Wan and Satine looked into the lounge where the children were sleeping. Obi-Wan shut off the holoreel, and Anakin’s eyes fluttered open. He shifted slightly to look at Satine, trying not to disturb his siblings. 

“Mum?” 

“Yes, my love?”

He hesitated, uncertainty swirling around him in the Force. “Those things Maul was saying...about what you think-“

Satine moved quickly to the side of the sofa, kneeling next to Anakin. “Oh, my bright one.” She kissed his forehead. “ _ Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad.  _ Always. Do you understand?” She brushed the hair out of his eyes, and kissed his forehead again. “Always, Anakin.” He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, nodded. 

What had Maul said to cause Anakin to doubt Satine’s love, Obi-Wan wondered. 

Then a dark thought shoved its way to the front.  _ He should pay.  _

He shook his head to clear that darkness, smiled, and, scooping Lily up, said, “Let’s see if we can’t get everyone more comfortable for the rest of the night.”

* * *

He kneeled before his master, pain ripping through his body. Physical pain from the blasted hunks of beskar he himself pulled out of his muscle and bone. From the bolts of lightning that had been shot through his already over taxed body. Mental pain from failure and defeat. From anger and fear.

“You were bested by a  _ boy.  _ A mere child, barely trained with a lightsaber,” his master hissed.

“He is far stronger than his age would make you think, master. But I would have had him, had it not been for  _ Kenobi _ and his Mandalorians.”

“I will not tolerate your excuses!” Another bolt of lightning hit him, sending him gasping to his hands and knees.

“You have failed me for the last time, apprentice. I have been more than gracious, but I foresaw this years ago. Your replacement is already waiting, ready to exceed my expectations, where you have fallen so woefully short.” Another bolt of lightning. Blackness narrowing his vision as his teeth clenched together harder than he thought was possible.

“Master, please…” he begged for mercy. But his master was finished with him. With the smallest of gestures of his master’s hands, the empty warehouse began to crumble around him, great beams of steel and metal and mortar crashing down on his prone body. 

He screamed with pain and rage. And then nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title/what Satine says to Anakin translation- Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad: I know your name as my child, Mandalorian adoption vow.
> 
> Obviously, Satine and Obi-Wan said this way back in the beginning, but I thought saying it again, after Maul said those awful things, was really important for her and Anakin. 
> 
> You guys got your old west shoot out....with jetpacks!
> 
> Speaking of jetpacks, I'm racking my brain as to whether any New Mandalorians actually used them. I've watched the Mandalorian episodes of Clone Wars multiple times and I only remember Death Watch having them before Maul busts in and destroys EVERYTHING. If I'm wrong, we're just going to pretend like I meant to do that for the sake of the AU. 
> 
> Signs of Death Watch: Coincidence or Not? Only the author knows...and she's not saying. 
> 
> Thanks again for being awesome! Please don't ever hesitate to comment! They make my day.


	9. This wasn't any pretty girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise reunion, to be sure, but a welcomed one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but then I wrote some stuff I'm really excited about (this isn't it, though I'm excited about this, too) and decided to celebrate with a new chapter today! Also, since I thrive on your comments, this will help keep me inspired. There is method to my madness.
> 
> For clarity, in terms of the canon timeline, this takes place several months prior to the events of Episode II.
> 
> This chapter is a good bit shorter than most. There's an explanation in the notes at the end.

_ 22 BBY _

Anakin took a steadying breath. He’d certainly been to plenty of state functions and parties growing up, even the one that had ended in disaster and a lightsaber duel a few years earlier. He should be able to do this one. It was  _ casual,  _ Senator Merrik had said. Just a mixer for the new session of the senate. Just a chance to get to meet people.

But Anakin was used to having his parents nearby, providing a steady, grounding presence. And Korkie at his side, distracting him with jokes or absolute useless knowledge on the various guests. Tonight, he was alone.

He fiddled with the cocktail he’d been handed upon entering. Something potent and sweet. A far cry from the beer he and his school pals would get belted on over school breaks and nights out. He was definitely not on Mandalore anymore. 

“Anakin, my boy, how nice to see you on Coruscant.” Anakin turned to see Chancellor Palpatine approaching him, a benevolent smile on his face. He swallowed down the immediate tension the man caused him, his mother’s words of distrust for the man ringing in his ears.  _ Smile and be polite,  _ he told himself.

“Chancellor, good to see you.” He shook the man’s hand, smiling politely, willing the Force to steady his nerves.

“How are you finding the Senate life? Enjoying it so far?”

“Well, enjoying it may be a stretch, but I’m learning a great deal,” Anakin said with a little chuckle.

“Oh, I’m sure. I just want you to know my offer for you to intern with me still stands.”

Anakin stamped down the panic, grasped for the mannerisms of his mother, her ability to be sweet yet aloof. “I certainly appreciate that, Chancellor. As of right now, I am happiest learning how the Senate works in regards to my people.”

The Chancellor started to open his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a voice coming from Anakin’s left.

“Ani?”

He turned, surprised to hear the name only his family used these days, and immediately felt like he was blinded by her beauty, all over again.

“Padmé?”

She stepped up to him and the Chancellor, smiling brightly. “My goodness you’ve grown.”

He smiled at her, his heart in his throat. How could she still make him feel like this? He wasn’t some precocious little boy without a filter anymore. He was a grown man, royalty, even. And it’s not like he’d never spoken to a pretty girl before. But this wasn’t any pretty girl. 

This was Padmé. 

“You’ve only grown more beautiful.”  _ Smooth, you idiot. _

She blushed, then seemed to remember the Chancellor was also standing there. “Apologies, Chancellor. Thank you for hosting this delightful party tonight. I was just so surprised to see my old friend, Anakin, here.”

“Certainly, Senator Amidala. I must continue to make my rounds.” He smiled tightly at them both. “It is so good to have you two with us.” The older man moved off into the crowd. Anakin could swear the man was frustrated, angry even, by the interruption. 

Padmé smiled at him again. “It really is good to see you. I can’t believe it’s been ten years.”

“Far too long, for my tastes, if you ask me,” Anakin said with a chuckle. He sipped the sweet cocktail to give him something to do with his hands and tried not to grimace. This was apparently what people drank in high society on Coruscant. 

She tugged at his elbow. “Let’s step outside. It’s lovely this evening.” He followed her out into the night air, and they looked out over the city-planet. Well, she looked. Anakin looked at Padmé. How was she even more beautiful than he remembered her? How did he  _ still  _ have a boyish crush on this woman? 

After a few quiet moments she turned, now leaning back on the railing, and looked up at him. “Are you enjoying working in Senator Merrik’s office? I have to admit, I never pictured you as much of a politician.”

He grinned mischievously. “So, you’ve thought about me?”

A flash of embarrassment crossed her face, but he just laughed, waved his bad joke away. “No, I’m teasing. The work is interesting, but I don’t see myself as a politician either. There are some humanitarian projects I would like to take on. I’m here on the advice of my mother. To see what I will ultimately be up against when I begin to need aid from the senate.”

Padmé looked thoughtful. Almost as if she didn’t expect that answer. “What are you hoping to accomplish?” 

He rested his elbows on the railing and stared out into the buzz of lights that was Coruscant by night. “Abolishing slavery in more than just word. Actually accomplishing it instead of talk of condemning it, while turning a blind eye to it in the Outer Rim.”

“That’s certainly a noble cause. I’m not surprised, coming from you.” She turned around and matched his posture on the railing. “When time comes, you’ll have an ally in Naboo.” She gazed up at him. “I have a feeling you’ll be a great inspiration, Ani.”

Anakin felt hot under her gaze, but willed his heart to pump normally. He smiled at her, feeling surprisingly bashful. “Thanks, Padmé. I appreciate that.” 

The rest of the evening was spent catching up, sharing their hopes for their work, dreams for their futures. Anakin’s initial nervousness slowly ebbed away, possibly fueled by the over sweet cocktails. He knew he should probably have mixed and mingled more. After all, wasn’t that the whole point of this outing? But Padmé seemed content to sit on the balcony and talk with him, so he decided not to worry. 

When he saw her out to her speeder at the end of the evening, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him gently on the lips, then, biting her bottom lip in a smile, she climbed into the speeder, waving to him as it sped off into the night. 

He wasn’t sure if he would vomit or pass out from the sensation that sang through every fiber of his being as he watched her speeder merge into the constant flow of Coruscanti traffic. She had  _ kissed  _ him. 

* * *

  
  


“Do you really think we should be encouraging this...infatuation of his?” Obi-Wan asked Satine as he finished reading the message their eldest had sent recounting his first weeks on Coruscant. Apparently, he was making  _ good  _ friends with Padmé Amidala, along with his work in the Mandalorian senate office. 

Satine sipped her tea, the tiniest of smirks on her lips. “We’re not  _ encouraging  _ it, Ben. Just...making room for it.”

“She’s five years older than he is. And a senator!” Obi-Wan felt scandalized. His own son was making him feel like a ridiculous old prude. Obi-Wan blamed the Jedi; his usual scapegoat for the many occasions he felt ill prepared for these  _ emotional  _ issues.

“And  _ he’s _ royalty. Padmé knows what she’s doing. She’s a smart young woman. She’ll grow tired of him, eventually break his heart, he’ll sulk and pout, and then he’ll eventually find someone new to follow around like a little tooka kitten.”

Obi-Wan grunted and fiddled with his breakfast. “I don’t like it.”

“I know you don’t, my love. But you were once nineteen and infatuated with someone far out of your league, too, if you remember,” Satine teased, grinning wickedly.

“I  _ married  _ her,” he barked in frustration. “You’re not helping your argument, Satine.”

“Who said I was arguing? Don’t make up fights that aren’t real, Obi-Wan.” She folded her napkin across her plate and stood to leave. “All I’m saying is just leave him be. He needs to learn about these things.” She stopped next to him, caressed his cheek then leaned down and kissed him. “Though I should possibly talk to him about being discreet. We don’t need tabloid headlines on the holonet.” She kissed him once more, then, as she was walking out, she called, “Don’t be a stuffy old man, Ben. You’re still too young for that.”

He grumbled, and wondered if she had ever even met their children. They were making him age twice as fast, he was sure of it. 

As if on cue, the younger Kryze-Kenobis burst into the room, Lily brandishing a training saber.  _ How did she keep getting those out of the locker _ ? he wondered. 

“Buir, please tell Lily she cannot practice with  _ my  _ lightsaber,” Korkie said, putting his father between him and his sister. 

“Have you tried telling her that yourself? I only mediate when all other options have failed, as a rule, both professionally and in matters of sibling discord.” He sipped his tea calmly, looking between his two children. 

“I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Korkie said simply, flopping down into the chair his mother had vacated. 

“He’s just afraid I’ll be better with it than he is,” Lily said, scowling, looking terrifyingly like her mother. 

“I’m afraid you’ll cut your own damn head off, Lily Bo!”

Obi-Wan could  _ feel  _ the grey hair growing. Maybe Anakin’s little infatuation was not his biggest concern, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh stars! You mean when Anakin is raised the example of a healthy, loving relationship right in front of him, grows up with peers (who don't hate him) and siblings and learns how to speak and interact with people, even people of the opposite sex, he is only a standard amount of 19 year old boy awkward? He's almost, dare I say, charming? WHO KNEW?
> 
> Also, while it wasn't my intent at first, I like the idea that Anakin carries on writing to his family, like he has been doing to his mother for ten years, instead of just holo messages. I feel like the space-email Obi-Wan is reading is basically like a kid's letter from camp:
> 
> Hello muddah, hello faddah.  
> Here I am at Senate proper.  
> Senate life is entertaining.  
> And they say we'll vote when this bitch stops complaining.
> 
> (Bonus bad rewrite of a silly kids' song today, too!)
> 
> This is short and sweet because A) I want to give them a chance to properly establish their affection for each other. Their relationship may seem to slip into the background for awhile (it won't stay there), so I want them to have their chance to just ignite this relationship, without all the commotion of what's to come. B) consider this a sweet little interlude. Because, well, it's 22BBY.....shit's about to get real. As I've said before, this is an AU, not a fluffy bunny fluff piece. Things will be happening.
> 
> Thanks again for all your lovely, amazing, inspiring, and clever comments. While I have this pretty much planned out (at least in terms of where it will end up. Some details of the road to the destination are still fuzzy), I do occasionally read a comment and go "damnit. That's a good idea. I wish I'd thought of that!" So, just because you don't see something you mention in the story, don't think that I don't consider completely rewriting everything to cram it in. This is so much fun and I appreciate every little comment, bookmark, hit, and kudos.


	10. Dreams and Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin turns to his family for help when two people he loves are threatened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you thank you thank you for all your comments and kudos. They give me life. Keep them coming!
> 
> I don't LOVE this chapter. There are parts that tickle me to death, but it is very much a utilitarian chapter to get us where we need to go. If it feels sticky in parts, trust me, I know. I worked and scrubbed and fretted over it for ages, but, it is what it is and it gets us to our next destination (quite literally) and it unsticks in the next chapter, I think.

_ 22 BBY _

I still don’t see why I can’t have a lightsaber.”

Obi-Wan ignored Lily’s most favorite complaint, and continued to flow through the series of katas with her and Korkie. Despite her incessant need to run her mouth, her form was excellent. 

“You’re supposed to focus on your form and not blabber on like a  _ or’dinii  _ during katas, Lily.” Korkie had yet to develop his father’s ability to tune out Lily’s cries of injustice over not being old enough for her own lightsaber.

“Easy for you to say. You’re not still running around with a toy saber.” Lily moved into the next move seamlessly, her ability to focus both on her saber forms and her campaign for everyone to forget she was ten and not thirteen remarkable. 

Obi-Wan sighed and gave up. “OK. That’s enough of that for today.” He relaxed, his lightsaber disengaging with a crackle. “Korkie, get a training saber and work some of that sass out of your sister.”

“Yeah, Korkie, let me show you how to really use a saber.” In one swift, fluid action, Lily came at Korkie with her training saber, a well executed cross cut. Only to have Korkie, sharp and keenly tuned to his sister’s thoughts, block it with his green blade, cutting the wooden blade in two, and sending Lily tumbling forward with no countering blade to throw her weight into. She cleverly turned her spill into a somersault and jumped back to her feet, acting for all the world as if she meant for all of that to happen.

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes and groaned. “Is that the third or fourth training saber this week?”

Lily didn’t even bother pretending to be remorseful as she picked up the other half of the decimated saber. “Fifth, actually.”

“Right. Stop coming at your brother when he has a lightsaber in his hand. Go, both of you, and burn off some of this sibling foolishness.”

“If I had a lightsaber, I wouldn’t keep breaking training sabers, Buir,” Lily called as she followed Korkie to the locker full of melee training weapons, choosing a new saber for herself.

“That’s possibly your least convincing argument yet, ad’ika.”

“Can I at least learn how to shoot?” Lily took a ready stance across from Korkie, who was rolling his eyes at his sister’s continuous stream of coercion.

“Maybe,” Obi-Wan replied. She was a bit younger than either of the boys had been when given shooting lessons by Obi-Wan and Tol’ket, but she was also highly driven and more focused than they had been at her age. Maybe giving her something else to occupy her mind would keep her out of trouble and stop the incessant complaining about her lack of lightsaber.

“Dad!” Korkie exclaimed. “She’ll shoot me!”

“No, I won’t. Unless you’re being a  _ shabuir.” _

“Dad!”

“Lily,  _ language _ . And we don’t shoot our brothers even when they’re being  _ shabuirs. _ ” He watched them for a moment as they circled each other, looking for weaknesses in each other’s defense. “You should ask your mother to teach you.”

“What?” both children exclaimed in union. 

“Mum doesn’t do things like shoot blasters and fight,” Korkie said, incredulous at the thought that his non-violent mother would ever do something so uncivilized. That one time with Maul certainly didn’t count.

“Oh, my dear boy, she is still Mando’ad. And she’s better at it than I am, and I think most of the guards are afraid of you, Lily.”

“I’m better than you at what?” Satine said as she walked into the gymnasium, smiling a wry smile. “That could be a multitude of things.”

“Shooting, my dearest. Your darling warrior princess would like you to teach her how to shoot so she’ll stop pestering me for the lightsaber she has yet to earn.” Obi-Wan pulled Satine to his side, kissing her cheek. They stood and watched their two youngest spar for a few moments.

Satine sighed, her shoulders sagging a bit. “She is every bit of a Kryze woman, I’m afraid.”

“Were you so fearsome at this age?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I was worse. I beat the ever living hell out of Bo on more than one occasion.” She paused, a sad smile on her face. “Of course, Bo beat the ever living hell out of me, too,” she added, almost wistful. She watched Lily again for a moment then called to her. “Lily, I’ll teach you how to shoot if you stop bothering everyone about building your lightsaber.”

The girl stopped and turned. “Really?” With a grunt of surprise, she fell on her backside, as Korkie knocked her out at the knees, a triumphant, wicked grin on his face. She launched herself at his midsection, but he deftly side stepped her assault, sending her sprawling again.

“Don’t turn your back on your opponent, vod’ika,” he said, chuckling.

Obi-Wan shook his head and decided to let them work this out between them. “What is it, my love? Or did you just come to see your youngest two beat the daylights out of each other?”

“As good of a show as this is, no. It’s Ani. He says it’s an emergency.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


The holo blinked to life, and a distraught looking Anakin stood before Obi-Wan and Satine. 

“Goodness, Anakin, are you alright?” Satine asked, her brow pinched with sudden worry.

The boy scrubbed his face with both hands, as if to scrub away the anxiety that etched his handsome, young face. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s been a tough couple of days, is all. I’m escorting Padmé to Naboo.”

“Wasn’t Padmé just home? Your last message-” 

Anakin cut Obi-Wan off. “She arrived yesterday for a vote. Her ship was bombed.” 

Satine gasped, a delicate hand covering her mouth. “Oh stars! Is she alright?”

Anakin nodded. “She’s fine. Shaken, but she’s tough. One of her handmaidens was killed, along with a few others.” He shook his head. “Like I said, it has been a rough couple of days. The Chancellor insisted on a Jedi guard,” he said, barely hiding his distaste. “They sent Windu.” He made a face. “Then, last night, someone managed to release a couple of kouhuns into her bedroom.” He looked down at his feet, sheepish, shuffling wherever it was he stood. “I was, uh, with Padmé and killed them before they could hurt her.”

His parents stood and stared at his holo for a long moment, processing all of that. Obi-Wan finally broke the silence. “So, she’s traveling home to Naboo, and you’re going with her. What about your work?”

“The senate is being held for now while the attacks on Padmé are investigated. Senator Merrik is aware I’ll be traveling.” He paused. “She needs to go home to meet with the queen, but I have suggested she comes to Mandalore afterward. She’d be safer there with Tol’ket and the Protectors watching over her.”

“Padmé has her own guard, Ani. She should be very safe in the care of her own people,” Satine said.

“They missed the bomb. They missed the kouhuns. Them and the kriffing Jedi,” Anakin said, indignation thick in his voice. “At least with us she would have Dad and Korkie and me, as well as the Protectors.” 

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin, thinking. “What does Padme think of this idea?”

Anakin smiled bashfully. “She wants to come. She wants to spend time with my family.”

Obi-Wan looked at Satine, as if to say  _ this was supposed to be an infatuation.  _ Satine merely shrugged.

“Fine, Ani. Bring her here,” Obi-Wan finally said with a sigh. “We’ll be sure there are appropriate quarters set up for her and her entourage. What of the Mace? Will he be coming, too?” Satine stiffened next to him, distaste at the idea of Jedi in her home rolling off of her in the Force.

Anakin shrugged. “No. Master Windu is off on some holy mission to track down the origin of the assissination attempts, from what I can gather.” Obi-Wan felt Satine relax, taking a breath. 

“Very well then. Let us know when you will be arriving,” Obi-Wan replied, resigned to allowing his son his whims. He was nineteen once, too, and fiercely protective of a beautiful woman, he reminded himself. 

“I will, buir. Thank you.” His shoulders slumped. He looked wrung out.

“Ani, is that all? Or is there anything else? You look absolutely exhausted,” Satine said.

Anakin rubbed his eyes again. “Yes. Well, no.” He sighed. “I haven’t been sleeping.”

“What’s wrong?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Nightmares. I thought I’d grown out of them.” He shook his head in frustration. “But these have been awful. I keep trying all the stuff Dr. Airini had me do when I was a kid. I even talked to her a couple of weeks ago….” he trailed off.

“Ani, what are they about?”

“My mother. They’re so vivid. They feel  _ real.  _ I wake up panicked and frightened for her.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin, deep in thought, recalling things Qui-Gon said about vivid dreams. “What happens in these dreams?”

The boy nervously runs a hand through his hair, clearly distraught to relive the dream. “She’s in pain. Calling out for me. I think she’s dying. I’m worried they’re a vision.” He finds Obi-Wan’s eyes, questioning. “Is that possible?”

“In the order, we were cautioned to tread carefully with dreams and visions. They aren’t always what they seem. I remember Qui-Gon having visions a great deal, particularly on a mission to Pijal. He was so certain that events would play out a certain way- and in some ways they did, but not at all how he thought the Force was telling him they would. There was much missing information.” Obi-Wan sighed. “What I’m trying to say, Ani, is don’t jump to conclusions. Meditate on your dreams. Seek the Force’s guidance.”

“Ani, when was the last time you communicated with your mother?” Satine asked, pragmatic to the last.

“It’s been difficult to get communications through to Tatooine from here. It’s been a couple of months.” 

“I will see if we can get word through to her and Cliegg, ok? You’re taking on a lot right now, so try to get some rest. Do as your father says and meditate,” Satine said.

Anakin nodded. “I’ll try. Thanks Mum, Buir. I miss you guys.”

“We miss you, too, Ani. But you’ll be home soon enough.” Obi-Wan offered him a reassuring smile. “Travel safe.”

“We love you, Ani,” Satine said.

“Love you, too.” His holo blinked out.

“Well then. I don’t know what I should be worried more about right now,” Satine said with a sardonic little laugh.

Obi-Wan took her in his arms, pulling her flush to him. “Try not to worry about any of it, my darling. He’s a smart, capable, brave young man. He’ll keep Padmé and himself safe. And hopefully the dreams will die down, but it is a good idea to try and reach out to the Larses from here.”

She rested her head against his chest, and he kissed the crown of her head, blissfully free from any of her extravagant headdresses. While he held the woman he loved with every fiber of his being, he worried himself over Anakin’s dreams. He sent a silent prayer into the Force that that was all they were- dreams.

* * *

With the impending arrival of the Senator from Naboo, her contingent, and his son, Obi-Wan went in search of Tol’ket to warn him and begin coordinating security. He found Tol’ket in the guard offices, sitting at his desk, rubbing his temples. 

“That good, eh, Tol’ket?” Obi-Wan said with a chuckle, sitting down across from the man.

Tol’ket jumped, nearly toppling in his chair, if Obi-Wan hadn’t righted him with a wave of his hand and gentle pull through the Force. “Sir! Apologies. I was just deep in thought.”

“About anything I should know?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Nothing more than the usual nonsense, sir.”

“Well, good. Then you won’t mind the added chaos of the arrival of the Senator from Naboo, who has recently had two assissnation attempts on her life,” Obi-Wan said, sitting down across from his captain. 

Tol’ket groaned and rubbed his temples again. “Please tell me this is some form of terrible Jedi humor.”

“Not a joke, my friend. The duchess and I just spoke to Anakin who is…. _ close _ with the Senator. He is accompanying her to Naboo to speak with the queen. Then they’ll make their way here.” Obi-Wan stroke his chin. “We’ll need to ramp up security, but she’ll have her own guard, I’m sure, that you can coordinate with, as well.”

“Very well, sir. I’ll start preparing. It will be good to have Anakin home.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He knew Tol’ket hated having to arrange for Anakin’s safety on Coruscant. And he knew Anakin was not the easiest person to keep safe, as he was prone to slipping away from his Protectors to run off and do whatever nineteen year old boys do on Coruscant. He changed topics, sure of Tol’ket’s proficiency in dealing with the heightened security measures.

“Any news on our  _ friend?”  _

Tol’ket shook his head. “No, sir. I’m afraid it’s still the same. It’s like he has just evaporated. At least before the bombing, we knew he was out there.”

“That’s...unsettling.” 

“It is, sir. I agree.” Tol’ket nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps your Jedi contact may have heard something?”

“”I spoke to Vos a month ago. The Jedi know nothing. He says that the Force even feels clouded around the temple,” Obi-Wan said.

“I know nothing of your Force. But I don’t like how such a beast can just vanish.”

“Nor do I. All the more reason to stay diligent.” He stood, squaring his shoulders. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a couple of clans to set straight before we are invaded by the Nabooians.”

Tol’ket chuckled as Obi-Wan saw himself out. The last bit of that conversation had not made him feel any better. He hated to admit it, but the Force seemed uneasy and restless lately, and he was fairly certainly there was more to it than bad dreams and assisination attempts.

* * *

  
  


A few days later, Anakin, Padmé, and their commingled entourage arrived in Anakin’s Mandalorian light cruiser. He looked wasted away- thin, exhausted, and haunted. Satine immediately began to fret over him, which he in turn tried to waved off.

Padmé was resilient. Despite two attempts on her life and practically non-stop travel, she was smiling and calm as she greeted Obi-Wan and Satine.

As the family and their guest settled in the salon, Anakin pulled Obi-Wan and Satine aside. “Did you get through to Mom?”

Satine shook her head. “No, we tried, but we can’t seem to raise anyone.”

Anakin looked grief stricken. “I tried from Naboo, too.” He looked at Obi-Wan. “I think I need to go.”

Satine shook her head again and wrapped a hand around one of Anakin’s biceps. “No. No, Anakin. You just got home. You brought Padmé here to keep her safe-”

“She’s fine. She’ll be safe.” He looked into Satine’s eyes with glassy, red rimmed eyes. “I need to know Mom is safe. Something isn’t right.”

Satine turned to Obi-Wan, who studied Anakin closely before speaking. “Anakin, are you prepared to face the truth if your nightmares are actually visions?”

Anakin flashed an angry look. “I can’t go on  _ not  _ knowing, Obi-Wan,” he shouted. Obi-Wan flinched, both at the heat and at Anakin calling him by his name for the first time in years. 

“I understand, Anakin. But you may be faced with things you don’t want to face. I just want to know you understand what you are potentially facing.” He kept his voice low and calm. He smiled ever so slightly. “Hopefully, these are just bad dreams like when you were a child, and this will all just become a silly story.”

“I just  _ need  _ to know,” Anakin said, softer this time, staring at the floor.

Satine grabbed Obi-Wan’s arm, squeezing it tight. “Go with him, Ben. He needs you with him.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Of course I’ll go.”

Unbeknownst to anyone, Korkie had been standing near their tight huddle. “I’m going, too.”

Satine whipped around. “Absolutely not.”

Korkie scoffed. “Why not? I’ve been to Tatooine plenty. I know the Larses.”

“You’re too young. We don’t even know what, if anything, you’re going into,” Satine said, putting on her royal duchess voice, firm and commanding. 

“Anakin fought Darth Maul when he was my age. And we  _ don’t  _ know what is going on. For all we know, they’ve been huddled up in the house for the last month because of a kriffing sandstorms!”

Satine looked to Obi-Wan for backup, but got none. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “By the time I was fifteen I was breaking up Hutt crime rings with Qui-Gon on a fairly regular basis.”

Satine growled loudly in frustration, and sat down heavily on the sofa beside Padmé, rubbing her temples. “You karking Jedi and your total lack of common sense. Always running head first into danger.” Her men stared at her, dumbstruck at her uncharacteristic vocabulary choice. She leveled her gaze on Obi-Wan, who only cocked an eyebrow at her, infuriating her more. She was angry, he knew, because she knew she wasn’t winning this. “Fine! Go. All of you.”

Lily, who had been sitting on the far side of the room with a datapad, seemingly lost in her own world, piped up. “So, I’m going, too. Excellent.”

“NO,” her whole family shouted in unison. She started to say something, but her mother shot her a look that froze her in her place. Her mouth clamped shut so fast her teeth clacked loudly together. Reading the room for once, she turned back to her datapad without another word.

Padmé stood and walked over to Anakin. “Ani, are you sure you should go? We just got here.” 

Anakin took her hand, squeezed it gently. “Padmé, I need to make sure she is safe. Make sure these dreams are just that. You’ll be safe here. Dad’s been relentlessly fortifying the palace against all comers for years.” He forced a chuckle, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “Someone would have to be suicidal to want to try and push past these Mandos.” 

Padmé nodded, understanding. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, as if communicating without words. Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably under the dawning realization, between the intimate look and the emotions seeping through Anakin’s shields and out of Padmé’s less guarded mind, that this was becoming far more than a boyish infatuation.

Clearing his throat, he clapped his hands together once. “Right. Looks like the boys and I are off on what hopefully will be a non-adventure. Korkie, comm the hangar and have them ready a ship for us. Tatooine awaits.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least there's some excellent "Lily Bo being Lily Bo" content to make up for the stuff that wanted to be sticky!
> 
> Here's a fun Ahsoka story that I mentioned in a couple of places in the comments on the last chapter: I have EVERY intention of getting our girl in on this action, and I am ANXIOUS for her to make her appearance. So, anxious, in fact, that I tried to cram her into THIS awkward chapter. It was AWFUL and did not do her any justice and really took away from the main points- Anakin is fretting over Padme and Anakin is having nightmares about his mom. It just wasn't working. She's coming (I was writing her last night), and when she arrives, I think we'll all be happy. 
> 
> Some headcanon stuff regarding Satine (and this applies to Satine in canon, too)- We know this woman, despite how she lives and rules, is a BAMF. She is a radical thinker for Mandalore, but you can not tell me this girl won't TAKE YOU OUT if and when the need arrives. Even in canon, we see her back to back with Obi-Wan, obliterating droids with her pretty little blaster, and being super athletic and awesome. She's still a Mandalorian. She puts on a good show of being regal and proper, but she will KICK YOUR ASS if she absolutely has to. I was actually inspired by the idea of her and Bo-Katan beating the shit out of each other as kids by a fan made comic series called "A Star Wars Comic." Issue #16 is a story about Satine and Bo as teenagers and it really seems like it should be some sort of canon. It's great, and I recommend googling to find it. The whole site is beautiful with some great comics about some of our favorites.
> 
> Again, thanks so much for reading, commenting, kudos, and the like. I get a kick out of your comments!


	11. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin faces a fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may sound like a broken record, but, again, thank you for the support! I hope you all continue to enjoy this story!

_ 22 BBY _

It was a long tense journey.

Anakin and Korkie handled the flying together, smoothly working alongside each other in a well coordinated effort. But once they entered hyperspace, Anakin remained in his pilot seat, tense and anxious, for hours, as if to will the ship to fly faster. Obi-Wan finally pried him away and forced him to eat, drink, and, finally, sleep, using the same Force suggestions he had used on him as a frightened boy when he and Korkie would invade their bed.

He’d only slept a couple of hours, before stumbling back to the cockpit. There were hours left in the flight, so, once again, Obi-Wan dragged him back, this time to meditate with him and try and calm his rattled mind. By the time Korkie gently broke their meditative states to let them know they were about to come out of hyperspace, Anakin seemed a bit more centered. Obi-Wan was exhausted.

They bypassed any of the ports, opting to settle the ship a short ways from the homestead for expediency. It was double noon when they landed, and the suns baked the sands and the three travelers as they walked the distance between the ship and the homestead. Owen, warned by the perimeter alarm Anakin had helped install a couple of years earlier, was waiting for them, looking stricken.

Greetings were skipped. Owen just shook his head. “She’s gone, Anakin.”

“What do you mean she’s gone?”

“Tuskens,” Owen said simply. “Come on. Get out of the suns. Dad will want to talk to you.”

Obi-Wan placed a steadying hand on Anakin’s back as they walked down into the dwelling. Korkie was quiet, pensive. Obi-Wan felt the waves of uncertainty coming from his younger son. Unlike Anakin, Korkie had lived a safe, easy privileged life from the very beginning. While he’d always tried to be empathetic to his older brother, Obi-Wan had to imagine that the grief washing off of Anakin through the Force right now was a jarring sensation as it ebbed and flowed around Korkie.

They found Cliegg and a young woman Owen introduced as his girlfriend, Beru, sitting at the dining table. Cliegg sat in a hover chair, his right leg amputated. Obi-Wan had always known the man to be hale and warm on his visits with Anakin, but now he sat slouched, despondent.

There was little preamble. It was almost as if they were expected. Beru quietly set about getting tea while Obi-Wan and his boys settled at the table. 

“She’d gone out to gather mushrooms off of vaporators in the morning, maybe a month ago now, I guess,” Cliegg started. “She was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders, practically from under my nose.” He shook his head, eyes cast down at his hands. “We gathered thirty men to go after her.” He raised his eyes to Anakin. “Only four of us returned. And I lost my leg.”

“She’s still alive.”

“Anakin, those Tuskens have long since killed her, you know that. You know how they are.” Cliegg shook his head.

Anakin pushed away from the table angrily and paced. “No. I can feel her. She’s still alive. I have to go after her.”

“They killed twenty six men when we went after her,” Owen reiterated quietly.

“No! I have to save her. I have to try.” He stormed outside, knocking his chair over as he went.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, looking to where Anakin had disappeared. “He’s brave and passionate and foolhardy, that one.” He turned his gaze to Cliegg. “I am sorry, old friend. My heart breaks for you.” The man nodded weakly. Obi-Wan couldn’t help to wonder if Cliegg had thought back to the offer to move the family to Mandalore over the last few weeks. Regret was often the companion of grief.

“I’m going to go talk to him,” Korkie said quietly, scraping his chair back to stand. Obi-Wan nodded silently, squeezing the boy’s arm as he passed.

An hour passed. And then another. Obi-Wan spent the time talking quietly with Cliegg, Owen, and Beru, gently inquiring about Cliegg’s health and needs. But he eventually grew restless over the absence of his boys, and finally excused himself to go looking.

He found them in the garage, tinkering on a couple of speeder bikes.

“You can’t be serious.” Obi-Wan knew exactly what was happening.

“I have never been more serious in my life, Buir,” Anakin said, a strange eerie calm to his voice.

“He can’t go alone,” Korkie said with a shrug as he tightened a bolt.

“This is reckless. This isn’t like at home, or Coruscant, where you’ve got half a dozen Protectors ready to jump in and save your  _ shebs _ ,” Obi-Wan said.

“We don’t need Protectors.” Anakin rummaged around in a medpac, checking supplies.

“That’s debatable.”

Anakin looked up sharply then. “Look. I’m not debating this. I’m going. Kork is going. If you’re so worried about us, come with us. You even told Mum you were doing stuff like this when you were younger than Korkie. So, let’s go. Help us if you’re so worried about us.”

They held each other’s gaze for a long couple of moments before Obi-Wan sighed, rubbed his forehead, and then squared his shoulders. “Fine.”

They left as the second sun began to dip below the horizon, following the coordinates Owen had reluctantly given them. The journey was long, and they arrived at a ridge overlooking the Tusken camp as the third moon was rising. The camp was quiet, most of the Tuskens seemed to be huddled around fires, warding off the chill of the Tatooine night. A few could be seen acting as sentries, but the camp wasn’t heavily guarded. 

“She’s down there,” Anakin whispered. Obi-Wan reached out, felt a familiar presence, but it was different, shot through with pain and fear. It was Shmi, of that he was certain. He knew her well enough to spot her through the Force, even hurt and terrified.

They moved swiftly, in unison, sliding in and out of the shadows, light on their feet. They crossed the camp’s boundary easily, moving quietly around the back of the shelters, until Anakin stopped. “She’s in here.” He ignited his blade and made quick work of cutting a hole for them to pass through. He slipped in, Obi-Wan directly behind him. Korkie came last, staying close to the entrance as look out.

There was Shmi. Or what was left of her. She was tied to a makeshift rack, bloodied and beaten. “No,” Anakin groaned softly. “Oh no.” He rushed to her, quickly cutting her loose. She crumpled into his arms, unconscious, but alive. Obi-Wan moved to his side, checking her pulse. It was weak, thready. “Mom?”

Her eyes fluttered open. “Ani?” Her breathing was labored, each breath short and rasping. Obi-Wan feared one or both of her lungs were collapsed. “Ani, you came all this way for me?” Shmi whispered, her voice rough, as if she’d wrecked her throat from screaming.

“Of course I did, Mom. Why wouldn’t I?” Anakin said, clearly struggling to stay calm. Obi-Wan’s eyes darted around, looking for supplies to make a litter for her.

“Ani...oh Ani,” she struggled to speak. “You’ve grown into such a fine man.” She brushed his cheek. Obi-Wan looked at Korkie. He’d gone white, eyes wide, as he watched the scene between Anakin and his mother. Obi-Wan snapped his fingers at his son to get his attention, gestured toward a pile of blankets near Korkie’s feet.

Anakin continued to cradle his mother’s small frame. He spoke to her in hushed tones, words only meant for them. 

As Obi-Wan began to repurpose the rack Shmi had been tied to into a litter, lining it with blankets, he heard Anakin sob. 

“Ani, I….I love you….” Shmi went limp in his arms.

“No. Mom! No!”

Obi-Wan was to his side in a heartbeat, one arm dragging him to his side in a clumsy embrace, the other feeling for Shmi’s nonexistent pulse. She was gone. 

“No,” Anakin wailed again, cradling her body to his chest.

“Shhh, Ani. We did what we could. We can at least take her home.” Obi-Wan knew the words would do little to ease his boy’s despair. 

“We didn’t do enough. Not nearly enough.  _ They  _ didn’t do enough.” He didn’t need Anakin to specify who he meant. He blamed the Larses.

“Anakin, you can’t say that. They are farmers. Not warriors.” He pulled Shmi’s body out of Anakin’s arms, laid her gently on the floor. “We need to move quickly.” He looked up to Korkie, who grabbed a blanket and brought it over.

“They will  _ pay,”  _ Anakin growled, standing up and unhooking his lightsaber.

“No!” Obi-Wan jumped to his feet and grabbed Anakin’s arm. “No, Anakin, there’s no point.”

“They killed her. I will kill them.”

“It won’t bring her back.”

Anakin shook Obi-Wan off of his arm and moved toward the flap of the tent. “They need to pay for what they did. All of it.” A wave of his hand sent pots and boxes flying. Korkie and Obi-Wan ducked to avoid getting bludgeoned by flying Tusken houseware.

Obi-Wan once again moved swiftly, this time stepping in front of Anakin, blocking his path. “Anakin, listen to me. Killing them will only cause you more pain. More suffering. She would not want this, Ani, and you  _ know  _ it. Let it be. Nothing will bring her back, but she still lives here.” He placed his hand over Anakin’s heart, as he’d once seen Shmi do all those years ago. 

Tears rolled down Anakin’s cheeks. “I just wanted to save her.”

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around the young man’s shoulders, pulled him tight to his chest. “I know, Ani, I know.”

“ _ Ni su’cuyi, gar kyr’adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum,”  _ Korkie recited the old Mando’a remembrance.

“Yes, Korkie. Ani, we will remember her, so she will be eternal.” Obi-Wan felt Anakin nod his head slightly against his shoulder. He held him for a long moment, far longer than was probably safe, with the commotion Anakin had made, before finally gently pushing him away. Anakin wiped his face, then moved back to his mother’s body.

They moved quickly, but gently, wrapping her body in the blanket. They lacked the speed and stealth they had when they entered the camp, but Obi-Wan reached through the Force and pushed a small column of rocks over off in the distance, on the other side of the camp. The Tuskens moved to investigate as the three rescuers made their move to leave.

They arrived back at the homestead early, before the first sun was fully up. Anakin remained silent next to Cliegg, Owen, and Beru, as they quietly buried Shmi. Anakin placed a datapad with her body. The last installment of the journal he kept for her. Obi-Wan imagined that it held tales of Coruscant and the Senate. Of his burgeoning love of Padmé. Obi-Wan’s heart ached.

They didn’t linger. Anakin went to the ship without a word, while Obi-Wan and Korkie said their goodbyes. Anakin piloted the ship with Korkie out of the atmosphere and into hyperspace, and then collapsed into a narrow bunk. He slept straight through the long trip, not waking until they made their final approach onto the landing platform in Sundari. Obi-Wan sent word ahead while Anakin slept, letting Satine and Padmé know what had occurred.

Satine, Padmé, and Lily awaited them on the platform. Satine looked devastated. Padmé, too. The air was heavy with grief and fear. Obi-Wan did not fail to miss the flash of pain and sadness that crossed Satine’s face when Anakin went to Padmé upon exiting the ship, burying his head in the crook of her neck, seeking solace in her embrace. It was quick, fleeting, just barely a moment for Satine, but Obi-Wan saw what she felt. He went to her and pulled her close to him.

“That was a difficult trip,” he said in her ear.

“I can only imagine, my love,” she said quietly. “Thank you for bringing him home safe.”

“He did not make it easy on me.” He pulled away from her a bit, studied her face, brushed gently against her mind. Anakin’s grief was not all that was causing her pain. “What is it? What has happened?”

“War, Obi-Wan. The Republic has gone to war.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Sorry.
> 
> Korkie's Mando'a remembrance translation: Ni su’cuyi, gar kyr’adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum- I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal." 
> 
> I do love the pragmatic yet sweet ways of the Mandalorians. They may be a wild and crazy bunch, but they have some really healthy outlooks on the realities of life. 
> 
> You all are the best. THE. BEST. I can't even begin to form words on how much joy your comments and sheer enthusiasm bring me. It keeps me going when I get hung up on something, so your appreciation is what fuels me!


	12. War and Rumors of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kryze-Kenobi clan begins to sort out how they and the people of Mandalore fit into a galaxy at war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the last chapter, my friends! But, Anakin needs to face hard things to grow into who he is meant to be. He needs to be forged in fire. Dare I say, like beskar?
> 
> As always, THANK YOU for all the love! I read every single comment and they all bring me joy! There are things you say and think that, even if I don't write it, I think "well, that's officially canon for this story now."

_ 22 BBY _

_**War.** _

The very notion rose bile in Satine’s throat. The idea was repulsive and barbaric to her. Her planet, the whole system, the very soul of her people, bore the scars of war. She’d borne witness to it’s atrocities, up close and personal. Her mother, dead by the time she was Korkie’s age. Her father, gone by the time she’d reached Anakin’s. At some point over the year she fled under the protection of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, her sister, her only remaining family, had disappeared without a trace.

She knew war. And here it was again, now on a galactic level. 

She paced in the family lounge as Obi-Wan stood in front of the holoscreen, his chin resting in his hand, and watched the news report from Coruscant for a third time. His face was stony as he heard the reports of all the Jedi and newly minted clones killed on Geonosis. Anakin sat on the sofa, Padmé tucked under one arm, Lily under the other. All three were quiet, Anakin’s brow pinched with concern. Korkie stood close to his father, watching with him. If her mood had been a lighter one, she’d stop and study and delight over how much the boy looked like his handsome father.

“They’re using  _ clones _ ?” Obi-Wan finally asked, to no one in particular. “They manufactured an army of living, breathing souls for this  _ war?”  _ He turned to Padmé. “Did you know about this?”

A look of indignation flashed across Padmé’s face. “I didn’t realize it was so close to happening. The vote that was postponed because of the assisination attempts was on the Military Creation Act.” She narrowed her eyes at Obi-Wan. “I  _ had _ intended to vote against it, just so you are aware. Jar Jar motioned to give the Chancellor emergency powers, making the vote moot.”

Satine bristled at the idea of that man having more influence and power.

“This is unbelievable,” Obi-Wan sighed.

“And the Jedi are leading it,” Satine said, her heart sick.

“I thought Jedi were peacekeepers,” Lily said, looking up from the datapad she had been reading on. Clearly, she was listening more than reading, Satine now realized. “Right, Buir? I thought you told us that the Jedi worked to keep peace in the galaxy. So, why would Jedi fight in a war?”

_ From the mouths of babes,  _ Satine thought, locking eyes with Obi-Wan. He looked distraught, angry even. An unusual look for him. “I wish I had a simple answer for you, my little one, but I don’t. I am as perplexed by this as you.”

“Will we join the cause?” Anakin asked, the first he’d spoken since the landing platform. 

“No. Absolutely not,” Satine shook her head. “We will not play a part in the Republic’s ridiculous game.”

“Satine…” 

“No, Obi-Wan.” She whirled on him. “You, of all people, know what I think of war. I will not abide by it.”

She expected a fight. She expected him to say something about defending the innocent. Expected some old Jedi trope of his to bob to the surface. But, instead, he studied her carefully, his eyes soft and compassionate, for a long moment, before dipping his chin, looking to the floor. “You’re right, my dear. I do. I will support you. We should tread carefully, though.”

Korkie finally broke his quiet contemplation. “Dad’s right. The Senate will not appreciate our lack of support.”

Her boy was sharp. She felt a flutter of pride. “We’ll declare neutrality. It has been done in the past. I’m certain we won’t be alone.”

“You won’t be, you’re right,” Padmé said. She looked tired. She had spent most of the morning before Obi-Wan and the boys returned taking holo calls in the guest quarters, trying to stay on top of the rapidly changing situation. Satine did not envy her position. Though, Satine hardly relished hers, at the moment, either.

“Will Naboo declare neutrality?” Korkie asked

“I’m afraid with the Chancellor being from Naboo and Representative Binks’ motion, our chance to declare neutrality has come and gone,” Padme said, sounding resigned.

Satine sighed heavily, rubbing her head. 

“I’m sorry, Satine,” Padme said, standing and laying a gentle hand on Satine’s arm. “I  _ will  _ fight to end this war quickly, though, and stand by Mandalore’s right to neutrality.”

Satine smiled sadly. “Thank you, my friend. I understand that you must do what you must do.”

Padmé smiled back. “I’m afraid, as much as I enjoy the company, I should be getting back to Coruscant before anything else gets out of hand.” 

“I’ll go with you. I’m sure I will be needed by Senator Merrik,” Anakin said, standing. Lily, not happy at the idea of her big brother leaving so soon, dramatically grabbed at his hand to try and drag him back down, but he instead just grabbed her by the waist, slinging her over his shoulder. She kicked and hollered, thumping him on the back. Her protests went ignored. “I may take this one and shove her out of an air lock.” 

Korkie snorted, and Satine gave him a wry grin. “Please do. She has half the Protectors terrified, and the other half rallied to do her bidding.” Then, turning to Padme, more serious, she said, “Stay for the night. It’s already getting late and you both could stand a good meal and rest before traveling.”

Padmé nodded, smiling, before heading out to make more calls. Anakin sat Lily upright on her feet. “Guess I won’t space you until tomorrow, vod’ika. Wanna spar before dinner?”

With a war whoop, Lily was gone, Korkie following behind. “Wear her down so she’s manageable, my bright one,” Satine said. “Then you should make time to call Dr. Airini.”

A dark look passed over Anakin’s face, eclipsing the smile he’d put on for Lily. He nodded once, and went to follow his siblings. 

It was now only Satine and Obi-Wan, who was lost in deep thought, his face dark like Anakin’s. 

She stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. There was a hesitation, as if it took a moment for the gesture to snap him back to reality and out of his head, then he pulled her against him tightly, resting his cheek against her hair.

“What are you thinking about so hard, Ben? I’m not even Force sensitive and even I can sense that your thoughts are  _ loud.” _

He made a rumbly sound before speaking, a sound deep in his chest she felt through her body. “I’m thinking about the travesty of the Jedi leading men manufactured for the sole intent of war into battle.” He kissed the top of her head. “After the events of the last couple of days, I didn’t think it was possible to break my heart more, but this has done it, Satine. Say what we will about the council, but at one time, the Jedi were meant to do good. As Lily said, Jedi were peacekeepers. If even a  _ child  _ can see the hypocrisy in this, what will the galaxy see?”

Satine nodded, the sentiment clear to her. “And to think,” Satine said, running a hand across his chest, “had I not wooed you away from them, you would be one of those Jedi generals.”

He looked down at her. “You would have hated me.”

She laughed lightly. “I could never have hated you, my love. But I certainly would not have been very pleased with you.”

He tipped her chin up and kissed her gently. “That’s a relief. I couldn’t bear a life knowing you hated me.” Another kiss. “Now, I propose we clear our minds, put thoughts of the war aside for the night, and enjoy the company of our children while we can. And later,” a mischievous grin crossed his lips, “ we can enjoy each other’s company.”

She cupped his cheek, smiling up at him. He leaned into her hand, kissed her palm. “You are full of brilliant ideas, Obi-Wan.”

* * *

  
  


Coruscant felt strange to Anakin.

It had only been a matter of days since he and Padmé had left for Naboo, and then on to Mandalore (and then _Tatooine)_. Ten at the most. But the whole planet seemed to have changed. Like it had grown an itchy, hot coat over the already pulsing, chaotic body of a city-planet. 

It was never his favorite place, to be sure. He preferred the quiet strength he felt at home on Mandalore. Or the vibrating life of Naboo. Hells, even Tatooine, despite the heat and the sand and the criminals, felt calmer than this place ever did. But he  _ had  _ grown used to it in his months here. Learned to block off the noise and chaos it caused in his mind. Found solace in a few places that brought him some peace and joy. Namely Padmé’s apartment, particularly when Padmé and he were tangled together in her bed, and at the diner, Dex’s, his father had told him he had enjoyed while growing up on Coruscant. 

Those things, plus the meditation he forced himself to do every day, had kept him from going completely mad on the planet  _ before  _ Padmé’s brushes with death.  _ Before _ his mother’s murder. And  _ before _ the war had broken out.

But now, he couldn’t escape the overwhelming feeling of unease. 

The Senate building, particularly, stank of fear and anger and discontent. As he walked through the corridors, making his way to various Senators’ offices Merrik had sent him to, gathering support for neutrality, he felt like his bones wanted to exit his body. The Force seemed to constantly yell and chatter at him, aggressive and discordant, tinged with darkness, with no real message. He caught a glimpse of the Jedi Temple through a window, off in the distance, and, not for the first time since arriving back on the planet, wondered how the Jedi could find such a place at all conducive to their monastic ways. 

“Anakin, my boy!”

Anakin gritted his teeth at the familiar voice, before donning his now well practiced “Duchess face,” as he and Korkie had started calling their mother’s mask of serene indifference, and turned to greet the Chancellor.

“Chancellor Palpatine, good to see you today.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve not been around much over the last few days. I hope everything is alright,” the Chancellor said, a benevolent, concerned look on his face.

“Just attending to some personal and family matters, sir.”

“Ah, well, glad to have you back with us. I was just heading to my offices for tea and a chance to catch my breath. Would you care to join me?” The Chancellor asked, motioning in the direction he was heading.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re very busy, Chancellor. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your chance to relax,” Anakin said, trying to gently extricate himself from the invitation. 

“Nonsense. I find chatting with the younger generation invigorating.”

Anakin started to protest again, feigning his need to stay on schedule. But then he glanced at his chrono and realized he was ahead of schedule.  _ Damnit.  _ “Well, if you insist.” He smiled graciously, though he was certain that smile reached nowhere near his eyes.

“Good, good.” The Chancellor began walking in the direction of his offices, Anakin by his side, Mas Amedda trailing behind. Idle pleasantries were made during the short walk to the Chancellor’s office. It wasn’t until after they were seated at the Chancellor’s expansive desk, overlooking Coruscant, tea in hand, that the subject turned to more current matters.

“I understand that Mandalore is declaring neutrality,” The Chancellor said, keeping a passive tone as he stirred sugar into his tea.

Anakin sipped from his tea, trying not to make a face. He’d never understood his parents’ obsession with the bitter concoction. “That’s correct, sir,” he replied simply.

“A far cry from your people’s history. A bold move on your mother’s part.”

Anakin set his cup down, and studied the Chancellor. “With all due respect, Chancellor, but I am well aware of my people’s history. The move is strongly supported.” 

“And what do you make of the decision? You’re a bright young man. I’m sure you have your own opinions on the matter.” The man smiled over his cup.

“I support it. Mandalore is a prime example of what happens when you try and solve every conflict with violence.” He paused, considering. “And, in more recent history, what happens when you step away from violence.”

“Hmm, yes. Well put.” The Chancellor nodded. “Sadly, there are times when violence is a necessity. Perhaps when defending one’s people?”

“Perhaps.” It wasn’t a debate Anakin cared to get into. He was tired of explaining Mandalore’s neutrality to people itching for a fight. He was tired of this building. He was tired of the whole damn planet. All he wanted was to be home, sharpening his lightsaber skills with his father. Talking with his mother about philosophy and politics. Racing speeder bikes through Sundari with Korkie and their friends. Listening to Lily’s rambling nonsensical stories about the trouble she routinely found herself in at the academy….

“Anakin?”

“Oh. My apologies, Chancellor. I’m afraid my mind wandered off.” He offered an apologetic smile.

“Is everything alright? You seem melancholy.” 

Anakin refrained from snorting. “It’s just been a rough couple of weeks, sir,” he said, attempting to be vague.

“Oh? Is everything alright with your family?” the Chancellor asked, concern in his voice.

Anakin sighed. He really didn’t want to discuss this, even with someone who was familiar with the complicated nature of his family. But he knew the man would press and needle for details. The Chancellor had a notoriously insatiable need for gossip. “My birth mother was killed recently. I’m afraid with that, the war, and some other more personal concerns, I have not necessarily felt myself now that I’m back in the Senate.”

The Chancellor looked stricken as he sat his tea cup down. “Oh, you poor boy. My condolences to you.” Anakin tipped his head politely in a show of gratitude. “Please know that if there is ever anything I can do for you, even just lend an ear, I am here. My door is always open to you.” He smiled kindly.

Anakin cleared his throat and was about to start thanking him but explain that his mind healer provided that service far more adequately, but was interrupted by the Chancellor’s secretary. “Sir, Master Yoda and Master Windu are here for their meeting. _ ” _

The Chancellor smiled graciously. “I’m sorry, Anakin. It seems my moment of relaxation has come to an end.” They both stood, and the Chancellor walked Anakin to the door. “My offer stands. If you ever need anything, I am here, whatever you need,” he said as Anakin stepped into his waiting area. 

He bowed to the older man stiffly. “Thank you, Chancellor.” He turned to leave, only to come face to face with unpleasant memories from his childhood, come to life.

“Young Skywalker. I had heard you were working in the Senate,” Windu said in a cold greeting.

Anakin swallowed hard. “Master Windu, Master Yoda. It’s a pleasure to see you both.” He bowed to them both, even stiffer than with the Chancellor.

“Well your family is I hope,” Master Yoda said, as he made his way into the Chancellor’s office.

“Yes, Master Yoda, they are very well. I will let them know they were asked after.”

“Hmmm, please do, youngling,” Yoda said with a tip of his funny green head as the door closed behind him.

Anakin scrubbed his hands over his face.

Stars, he needed to get off this planet.

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan scrubbed his hands over his face.

Stars, he needed a shave. And a shower. And a decent night’s sleep.

He’d barely had time for any of that in the last week as he took on as much as he was able to lighten Satine’s burden. Close to a thousand systems had joined Mandalore in neutrality, with even more on the way, if what Anakin reported held true. Satine had been asked to lead the newly founded Council of Neutral Systems, and while most of the houses and clans were in agreement with the decision to remain neutral, a few noisy clans were stirring the proverbial pot. Obi-Wan had taken it upon himself to reason with the loud minority, and it was frustrating work. Even after fifteen years with the Mando’ade, he still could find them needlessly stubborn at times.

He focused his attention back to the datapad he had been studying when his door chimed. 

“Enter.”

Tol’ket, who bore a near constantly harried look of late, swept in. “Sir, you have an incoming transmission,” the man said with no preamble. It seemed as if he’d run from his offices to Obi-Wan’s.

Obi-Wan stood and moved around his desk to the holoprojector, smirking at Tol’ket. “Have you demoted yourself to my secretary, Tol’ket?”

Tol’ket rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for  _ dikuut jetii _ jokes at the moment. “It was flagged for security concerns, sir.” He stepped in front of Obi-Wan at the holoprojector and mashed the controls. He gestured in annoyance at the beskar clad figure that blinked to life. 

“ _ Death Watch _ ?!” Obi-Wan said in shock.

The figure turned their glare to Obi-Wan. “So this is the karking jetii my fool sister married.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHIT'S GETTING REAL. Or, as someone said, Sith's getting real.
> 
> This is a chapter that TORMENTED me, and then, suddenly, it all fell into place. I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> Here's a thought I had about Coruscant feeling weird and off. We know that, in canon, the Dark Side was definitely clouding the Force and making it hard for the Jedi to sense what was coming. But, what would a light side, non-Jedi, Force user feel if they didn't spend all their time on Coruscant? What it be more noticeable (obviously, in this AU, the answer is yes!)? I liken it to that awful frogs in boiling water story- if you throw a frog (Anakin is the frog) into boiling water, they'll immediately try to escape. But if you slowly raise the temperature of the water while they're in it, they (the Jedi) won't really notice. Until it's too late.
> 
> Ugh. That analogy messes with my sensibilities, but I feel it's accurate! Thoughts?
> 
> Thank you, as always! You all are a joy to me! I appreciate every word of every comment, all the kudos and bookmarks and hits.


	13. Allies, Strange and Otherwise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan is given information he doesn't quite know what to do with. Meanwhile, with encouragement from Satine, Anakin takes a new path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for all the encouragement and support!

_ 22 BBY _

“What in seven hells is going on?” Obi-Wan looked between Tol’ket and the holographic figure.

A clearly feminine humanoid stood before him, though her features were hidden under Death Watch beskar armor. The woman stood casually, defiantly, a hand on her hip. 

Obi-Wan looked at Tol’ket again. “ _ Death Watch,  _ Tol’ket? Seriously?” 

“She would only speak to you, sir. She wouldn’t say what it was about.”

“I’m not going to talk to Protector scum,” the woman spat.

“Now, see here, you traitorous bi-”

“ENOUGH,” Obi-Wan shouted. He turned to the hologram. “Who in blazes are you?”

The woman reached up and pulled off her helmet. A surprisingly familiar face appeared, but it was framed in flaming red hair, cut short in a utilitarian bob, eyes a sharp green. “I’m Bo-Katan, of House Kryze, Clan Kryze.”

“Satine’s sister,” Obi-Wan said in shock. “You’re with Death Watch?”

The woman straightened, squaring her shoulders. “My sister is foolish and forgets who we are as Mandalorians. I choose to honor our heritage, while she chooses to not only forget it, but burn it to the ground.” She smirked a little. “Kriff. She even goes and marries a kriffing Jedi.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I am no longer a Jedi,” Obi-Wan chided, surprisingly glib. “And your sister saved your people. The Mando’ade would be extinct, a mere footnote in history, had she not chosen the path of peace.”

Bo-Katan sneered and started to say something, a finger raised to make an unspoken point, but she instead sighed in frustration. “Listen. I didn’t reach out to you to debate.”

“Then why are we talking? Why aren’t you talking to your sister? Why me?”

“Because you’ve shown you know what you’re doing. You’re not so stuck into her pacifist ideals that you aren’t willing to actually protect your family.” She gestured at Tol’ket’s slug thrower sidearm.

“Lady Kryze, what are you on about?” Obi-Wan asked, rubbing his eyes in frustration.

“Listen, I can’t give you a lot of details right now, because there aren’t a lot of details yet. But Death Watch leadership is making noise about going after your kids, and I think you need to know that.”

“ _ Haar’chak,”  _ Tol’ket swore. Obi-Wan put a steadying hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Why are you telling us this?” Obi-Wan asked.

Bo-Katan shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze. “Look. I may disagree on a deeply fundamental level with my sister and her foolish pacifism, but going after kids just rubs me the wrong way, no matter who their parents might be. They’re still Mando’ade. They should be protected and taught what it means to be Mandalorian. Not killed because their mother is a fool.”

“So, are you defecting? Your sister misses you. She doesn’t even know if you’re dead or alive.”

The woman shook her head. “And it needs to stay like that. You can’t tell her. It’ll break her heart.”

“More than you already have by disappearing?”

She ignored that comment. “I’m not defecting. I...I have work here I need to do.” She cast her eyes down at her feet. “I’m sorry, but I had to do what I did. All I’m saying for now is watch after those kids, Kenobi. Keep them safe, ok?”

“Of course I will. They’re  _ my  _ children, as well. It would, however, help to have more infor-”

“I don’t have any more right now. I’ll be in touch.”

The holoprojector blinked out.

The two men stood in astounded silence for a long time, both staring at the air that had been filled with Bo-Katan Kryze, long lost sister of the Duchess Satine Kryze. Tol’ket finally broke the silence.

“Kriffing hell. Just what we need.”

Obi-Wan only nodded in agreement.

* * *

  
  


“Good, Lily. Just like that.” Satine watched Lily fire off another half dozen stun rounds at the targets, her aim deadly precise.

Satine would not say it to the girl, lest she become even sassier, but she was going to be a better shot than either of her brothers (who were both excellent marksmen). She was probably going to be better than Satine.

_ Karking jetii genes _ , Satine thought with a chuckle. 

Lily put the safety on and turned to her mother. “When do I get to try it with a slug thrower?”

“Never, if I have my way. You can’t set those to stun, my love.”

Lily turned back to the targets, taking aim again, all while muttering something about how stunning Sith Lords isn’t actually a thing. Satine just shook her head, and watched another half dozen phantom menaces fall to the hand of her prodigious sharp shooting daughter.

Satine sighed contently. She had been run absolutely ragged the last few weeks. But she made a point this day to keep her promise to Lily and teach her how to shoot. Satine felt rusty- as a pacifist, she didn’t have much cause these days to draw a weapon- but it had been a welcome reprieve to get out of the throne room and cabinet chamber and practice something she had once been quite the deft hand at.

Obi-Wan had not been exaggerating to Lily and Korkie- she was a much better shot than he was. Obi-Wan was no slouch, to be sure. But Satine was Mando’ad.

She was gently correcting Lily’s posture and grip when Kayla, her assistant, quietly peeked her head around the booth she and Lily occupied. “Your grace?”

“What is it, Kayla? I told you I wanted at least an hour of uninterrupted time with Lily.”

“Yes, your grace, but it’s Anakin.” She proffered a small holoprojector.

She took the device with a sigh, and waved Kayla off as she activated it. Anakin’s form blinked to life in her hand. “Hello there, my bright one,” she greeted him with a smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to my eldest today?” She kept one eye on Lily, who had now sent the practice dummies into motion, not content to hit stationary targets.

“Hi, Mum. I called because I need some advice.” Anakin rubbed the back of his neck. He looked tired and a bit gaunt, but considering recent events for her boy, she wasn’t surprised.

“Of course. What is it?” 

He sighed, shoulders slumping. “I’m not sure I can stay on Coruscant.”

Satine narrowed her eyes. “Alright. Is there a particular reason why?”

“Umm, well- hmm, Dad would probably understand this better- the whole entire place  _ feels  _ horrible. There’s so much anxiety and anger in everyone, rightfully so, I suppose. I’m just not sleeping well-”

“Nightmares?”

“No, no nightmares. Just too anxious to sleep.” He rubs his head. “Anyway, long story short, I hate it here, even with Padmé being around. And I don’t feel like I’m doing much good, and, well, I was talking to Senator Organa and he was talking about relief aid, and….” he trailed off. Anakin was not the wordsmith that Obi-Wan or herself was, especially when stressed.

“You want to do relief work?” she asked, a proud smile on her lips.

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“So, what advice do you need from me, my love?” A flash of motion caught her eye. Lily was now trying to fire her blaster backwards, over her shoulder. “Lily! We’re not trick shooting. Do it right or not at all.” She turned back to Anakin. “Sorry, sorry. Your sister is learning to shoot.”

Anakin guffawed. “You’re teaching her to shoot? We’re doomed.” He shook his head, a little smile on his lips. “Anyway, I guess what I’m getting at is do you think I should? Should leave the senate office, that is?”

“Oh, Ani. You should follow your heart in this. Or, as I’m sure your father or Qui-Gon would say, ‘follow the will of the Force.’” She waved a hand in the air for dramatic effect. “If you think your time and efforts would be better spent doing relief work- which, mind you, I fully support- rather than being a glorified errand boy for Merrik, than, by all means, love, go and do it.”

His smile broadened, and her bright, sweet boy bobbed to the surface for the first time in weeks. “Really?”

“Absolutely,” she replied with a laugh.

“Thanks, Mum.”

“How are you otherwise? Besides the not sleeping business?” she asked, taking advantage of the chance to actually talk to her son instead of reading his carefully edited messages.

The smile faded from his eyes, and he sagged a bit. “Ok. I guess. I’ve been talking to Dr. Airini regularly, so I guess that’s good.” She nodded, glad to hear he was making use of his long time confidante. “But being here-” he shuddered- “Maker, Mum. I try so hard to not be angry about what happened, and it’s like this stupid planet just  _ wants  _ me to be angry.”

Satine knew she would never fully appreciate what her children and her husband experienced beyond their normal senses. But, it was clear Anakin was struggling. “I think, for your own sake, getting off of Coruscant is a very good idea.”

“I won’t be with Padmé , though.” He cast his eyes down.

“Trust me. Padmé will prefer seeing you less, but seeing you happy, then have your angry, sad  _ shebs  _ underfoot.” She smiled. Anakin, thankfully, snorted a little laugh, before looking up at her. “Go, Anakin. Go do some good. I’ll talk to Almec to see what Mandalore can do to support any relief work.”

He smiled at her and nodded. “Right, Mum. Thank you. For everything.”

Lily suddenly made her presence known, half climbing over Satine’s shoulder to see her brother, blaster in hand. Satine pried it away, turning the safety on. “Stars, Lily!  _ Ori’buyce, kih’kovid!  _ Safety, child.”

Lily ignored the reprimand. “Hi, Ani!”

Anakin laughed. “Hi, Lily. Please don’t shoot Mum. That’s considered a treasonous offense.”

“I wasn’t going to shoot her.” The girl rolled her eyes. “I miss you!”

“I’ve only been gone a few weeks, Lily Bo.”

“That’s too long. You’re the best sparring partner.” She heaved an exasperated sigh. 

“Ahh, thanks, vod’ika. We’ll get plenty of practice together, I promise.”

The girl groaned dramatically. “We better.” She slid off her mother’s back and disappeared out into the bowels of the Protectors’ shooting range.

Satine smiled at Anakin again. “I hate to end this lovely chat-”

“But you need to go get her before she plots galactic domination,” he finished for her with a laugh.

“Indeed. I love you, bright one.”

“I love you, too, Mum. Thanks again.”

“Any time. Day or night. Go and do some good for this hurting galaxy, Anakin.” She looked at him gravely, but with love and pride. “Go make Mandalore proud.”

* * *

  
  


Christophsis was a mess.

Anakin had seen the reports the Jedi council had released to relief operations, but they didn’t prepare him for what awaited him and the small team of relief workers he was leading.

His memory flashed to stories his mother had told him about what she had returned to after running with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. He wondered if this is what it was like. Mass destruction and death. 

He squared his shoulders and fidgeted with his beskar breastplate. He felt like he was bristling with weaponry- double shoulder holsters for a slugthrower and a proper blaster, and his lightsaber hanging at his hip. But it was the only way his father was going to let him move freely about the galaxy without an entourage of Protectors. He shouldn’t need any of it, but here he was, armed to the teeth like a proper Mandalorian, as he walked into a war zone in the name of peace. Ironic.

The ramp settled to the crystalline ground of the planet. Anakin took a steadying breath, and walked down into what looks like organized chaos. Clone troopers hurry this way and that. Some loading weapons and tanks onto their transports, some working on some form of clean up. The mood was relatively cheerful and buoyant. He supposed that made sense. After all, this battle was considered a win for the Republic, if you consider leaving entire cities in piles of rubble victory.

He spotted a familiar face through the bustle, making his way toward him.

“Is that really little Anakin?” 

Anakin smiled. “Master Plo! It’s good to see you. Or should I call you General now?” He extended his hand to the Jedi, Koon took it, only to pull him into a quick embrace. He’d always liked Plo Koon, who had been the only Jedi to actually show him a spark of compassion after Qui-Gon’s death.

“You have grown into a fine man, youngling.” Koon held him out at arm’s length. “A proper Mandalorian, at that. Your parents must be proud.” The man spotted his lightsaber hanging from his hip. “And Obi-Wan has been busy teaching you, I see. I only wish I had time to test out your skills. See if your father’s skills as a duelist have been past down.”

Anakin chuckled. “It would be a privilege to spar with you, Master Plo.”

“Perhaps another time. Alas, I won’t be staying.” He started off into the commotion around them. “Come. Let me introduce you to my padawan and one of my captains. They’ll be staying behind to assist.”

Koon led Anakin toward a transport, where a small Togruta girl and a clone trooper were huddled over a datapad.

“Ahsoka, Captain, this is Anakin Skywalker of Mandalore,” Koon said, voice booming. “He’ll be heading up the relief aid project here.” The two turned to face him, shaking his hand as he offered it. “Anakin, this is my padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex of the 501st. They’ll both be quite useful to you while your team gets set up.”

The girl, Ahsoka, was petite and  _ very  _ young looking. Anakin hadn’t met a lot of Togrutas, so he wasn’t sure how to judge her age, but figured she might have been as old as Korkie. Still, she gave him an appraising once over with her big, blue eyes. The kind of look he had grown to expect from most Jedi who did not know his history. Her eyes stopped at his lightsaber. “You’re a Jedi?” she asked, cocking her brow critically.

Koon beat Anakin to a response. “No, ‘Soka. Anakin is part of a family of Force users outside of the Jedi order.” He patted Anakin fondly on the back. “His father was a padawan, but left the order for, hmm, matters of the heart.”

Anakin chuckled. “Nice way to put it, Master Plo.”

The clone, Captain Rex, grunted. “I didn’t know Jedi could just leave.”

“I mean, I knew not everyone makes it to padawan,” Ahsoka said, deep in thought. “But to put all that work in just to leave…” She trailed off.

Anakin shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “If you met my mother, it would probably make a lot more sense.” 

Koon laughed heartily. “You make an excellent point, my boy. She is a force to be reckoned with.” Koon’s commlink went off, and, after giving it a glance, he turned to Anakin. “I’m afraid I’m off to deal with the Hutts.” Anakin grimaced. “My thoughts exactly, young one. I’ll let you get to work. Little ‘Soka, stay out of trouble. Captain Rex, keep her in line.” 

Ahsoka flashed him a cheeky grin. “Of course, Master.” Rex, saluted. With that, Master Koon strode away toward a troop transport that was revving up for take off.

The three stood and looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Rex’s brain seemed to click into action. “Right. Mr. Skywalker, if you-”

Anakin crinkled his nose. “Ugh. Please just call me Anakin. Mr. Skywalker sounds weird.” Ahsoka smirked. 

“Sure.  _ Anakin,  _ if you look here, you can see where we have set up triage sites for the civilians.”

They spent a few minutes discussing logistics, and Anakin felt his initial trepidation start to wash away. He liked this Captain Rex guy. If all the troopers were like him, it would make Anakin’s job a lot more pleasant. The kid, though, he wasn’t so sure about. 

As they headed back toward Anakin’s crew and ship, Ahsoka gestured toward his lightsaber. “Can you even use that thing?”

He didn’t even look down at her. She was already reminding him of his siblings. At their worst. “Uh, yeah. Why would l carry it otherwise?”

She snorted a little derisive laugh. “I don’t know. It’s not like you’re a Jedi. What do you even need it for?”

“No need to get snippy, little one.” Rex chuckled on his other side. “I carry it because it’s an important part of my heritage. Just like my beskar.” He rapped his knuckles on his chest. “We spar and practice a lot, so I know what I’m doing with it. And, I  _ have  _ used it, protecting my baby sister and brother and our mom against a Sith Lord.”

She ground to a halt. “An  _ actual  _ Sith Lord?” 

Anakin just kept walking, now under the shadow of his ship. “That’s what they’ve called the guy since I was a kid, when Master Plo and Master Qui-Gon fought him on Naboo.” He shrugged. “All I know is he’s a bad kriffin-”

He stopped mid stride. The Force swirled around him urgently. Pressing him.  _ Look up look up look up!  _ He did, in time to see a bomb hurdling down toward his ship. He gathered the Force around him to propel him upwards, jumping to the top of his ship, igniting his lightsaber as he went. He met the bomb with a mighty swing of his blade, cleaving it in two. The pieces tumbled out of the air, landing, harmless, on either side of his ship, sparking and smoking.

From his perch, he smirked down at the kid, who was staring up at him in awe. “You were saying?”

Before she could reply, the Force  _ yelled  _ at him again, just as clones started shouting, guns blazing into the sky. More bombs. More droids.

Anakin swore in Mando’a, then breathed out. “Not good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's HERE! Obviously, because Ahsoka and Anakin are walking two very different paths through this war, their relationship will be different. But, don't worry, she's still going to be special. She's here, and we love her.
> 
> There's fun stuff ahead that I'm stoked about, but I will admit that the whole "canon divergence" tag may come even more into play as we move through this adventure. I will remind you, gentle readers, that this is a family going through a time of war they'd all like to have nothing to do with (except perhaps Lily Bo? I feel like she's itching for a fight), and they are working hard to stay as far away from the Republic's bullshit as they can. But they're also Kenobis, Skywalkers, and Mandalorians. They're basically drawn to chaos like moths to flame. So, expect to see a general background flow of the Clone Wars, but with some seriously different takes on some things in the foreground. I'm trying to say this with no spoilers!
> 
> As always, the comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits bring me great joy! You all make it hard not to just DUMP everything I've written out for you, but A) I'm way behind in editing, and no one needs to see that, and B) I would hate to make you have to wait longer if I ever got bogged down. So, I'll try to keep this pace. But, let me tell you. It's hard with some chapters that I am SO excited about. You know that feeling when you get someone you love a GREAT gift, and you just want to GIVE IT THEM RIGHT NOW, who cares that their birthday/Christmas/whatever is two weeks away? That's basically how I feel all the time. THANK YOU FOR BEING AWESOME!
> 
> PS- besides a BB gun, laser tag, and some paintball, I have NEVER shot a gun in my life, nor have I ever been to a shooting range. I read a brief article on "how to be a good shot" (I think that's what I googled), gave up, and fell back to the many hours of crime shows I've watched as a template for Lily's shooting lesson. Sorry!


	14. No Dull Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is just no escaping from at least some amounts of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY GOODNESS. Y'all overwhelm me. I have been flooded by comments after the last chapter. So many wonderful, kind, thoughtful messages. SO MANY. I can't even begin to say how much it means. 
> 
> I usually try and respond to each message before sharing a new chapter, but that's not going to happen today (time crunch). I will try and get to them all, though. That being said, if I don't respond to your comment, please, please, please realize that I read every one and they all make me smile, or laugh (some even make me straight up cackle), or just generally touch me. You all are SO kind, and I really, deeply appreciate you all.

_ 22 BBY _

The air screamed with bombs and droids as Anakin fought to protect his ship and the contents it carried.  _ Who attacks a relief ship?  _ he wondered as he deflected shot after shot back at the flying metal monsters, and cleaved the ones that got too close. At the back of his mind, he’d registered that Ahsoka had shouted at his crew to run. They were all unarmed. They were relief workers, for Force sake! He was only armed because, well, he was Mandalorian.

Thank the stars.

He whipped out his blaster and started firing at the flying droids (he thought he heard someone call them  _ vulture  _ droids) with one hand, while deflecting blaster bolts and busting the mortars with his lightsaber in the other. It was exhausting, but strangely exhilarating, as he felt the Force rush through every fiber of his body, guiding him as he protected the supplies in the ship beneath his feet. 

He could sense Ahsoka, now on the hull of the ship, as well. Her Force signature sang as she calmly and steadily covered his back, brave beyond her years. He should be terrified, he thought, but, instead, he found a strange, profound calmness wash over him as he finally felt he was using his gifts fully. Was this what it was like to be a Jedi?

The bombardment seemed to go on both forever, and also ended in a heartbeat. Anakin saw the flare of an explosion, high in the atmosphere, and, seconds later Rex relayed the message that the straggling Separitist ship had been destroyed.

Anakin holstered his blaster and extinguished his lightsaber. He took one last appraising look at the sky, briefly considered camping out on the top of his ship in case there were other stragglers, and then jumped down, landing lightly in front of Captain Rex. Ahsoka was soon beside him.

“Kriffing hell. If this is going to be what relief work is like, I’m going back to the Senate,” he said smiling broadly at Rex.

“Heh, you were having fun up there,” Rex said, smacking him on the shoulder. “Nice shooting, by the way. If that’s how you operate all the time, I will gladly help you with  _ relief work  _ any time.” The man pulled his helmet off, revealing closely cropped blonde hair and cunning golden brown eyes. “Let’s get your crew rounded back up and get this bucket unloaded.”

Rex marched off, barking orders at troops. Anakin turned to Ahsoka, smiled smugly, and shrugged. “So, yeah. I know how to use a lightsaber.”

She rolled her eyes grandly, spun on her heel, and went striding off in search of the crew she had sent running for cover.

_ Blast if she isn’t a snippy one _ , Anakin thought, shaking his head.

* * *

  
  


After he’d made sure his crew of relief workers were all alright, they had set to work setting up their relief stations. Food, shelter, and medical needs were all offered for the people of Christophsis. Over the coming weeks, they’d help them get to the point that they could tend to their needs without assistance, but, for now, it was all about getting them what they needed as soon as possible.

It felt good and right to Anakin, and for the first time in weeks, months even, he felt calm and clear headed. Even after the excitement earlier in the day.

It was much later, now, long after the sun had set, sending the planet’s seemingly perpetual twilight sky into actual darkness, and they were settled into camp for the night, with Captain Rex, Ahsoka, and a few other clone troopers. Anakin liked the clones. Especially Rex. They all seemed like good men. It made his father’s disgust over their use as soldiers even more understandable. Good men didn’t deserve to be bred for nothing but the pursuit of war.

They were all relaxing, unwinding after an exhausting day, swapping stories or passing flasks. Anakin sat in a circle playing sabacc with Rex, Lemo, a Rodian, and a young man from Alderaan called Raymus, both members of Anakin’s crew.

Or, he was  _ trying  _ to play sabacc. Ahsoka sat beside him, relentlessly asking him questions. She reminded him of a more restrained combination of Lily and Korkie. She was clearly fierce, strong, and very skilled for someone so young. But she was also highly intelligent and thoughtful. And she would  _ not  _ stop talking.

“Why did your dad leave the order? I just can’t see leaving the only life I know. Putting all this work into becoming a Jedi….I just don’t understand.”

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Clearly you’ve never been in love.”

“Jedi don’t form attachments,” she said primly.

Anakin played a card. “Yeah. I know. I’ve heard it a few times.”

“So, what’s love got to do with it?”

“My dad fell in love with my mom on a mission. When the mission ended, she asked him to stay, so he did. It’s really not that complicated.” Anakin refrained from making a face at the play Rex just made. He was getting trounced. He was horrible at sabacc.

“But what about the  _ code?”  _ Ahsoka asked, clearly trying to wrap her mind around the idea that one can somehow manage to live life outside the code.

“What about it? He stopped being a Jedi, so he stopped worrying about the code. He loves Mum, and all of us.” Anakin turned to look at Ahsoka, giving her a mischievous grin. “Attachments can be a  _ good  _ thing.” He turned back to his cards, thinking of Padmé. “A real good thing.”

Ahsoka pointed to a card in his hand. “Play that one.”

He humored her as Rex let out a chuckle. “Sounds like Anakin may know a thing or two about  _ attachments. _ ”

“From what I’ve heard, he and Senator Amidala are  _ really _ attached,” Lemo said, chuckling, as he folded on the game. Anakin tried to stop the rush of blood to his cheeks, but Rex caught it. 

“Oh yeah. He knows about attachments,” Rex said, voice dripping with meaning.

Ahsoka snorted a little laugh, then made a noise of triumph as Rex and Raymus both folded, leaving the pot for Anakin. He cocked an eyebrow at her as he pulled his winnings to him. “What? I’m good at sabacc,” she said with a shrug.

Rex grumbles. “Then I’m never playing with you, Commander. I was sure I had you, Skywalker.”

Ahsoka sat quietly for a moment as a new hand was dealt, before giving up on peace and quiet and starting in again. “So, how did you get so good with your lightsaber?”

Anakin shook his head as he studied his hand, tilting the cards just a little so she could see without being too conspicuous. “Probably the same way you did. I practice a hell of a lot.”

“And your siblings are Force Sensitive, too?”

Anakin nods. 

“And they didn’t send any of you to the temple?” she asks, shocked.

“No. It’s complicated.”

“Oh.  _ That’s  _ complicated,” she said, voice dripping with derision. 

“Yeah, Snips, it actually is.”

“Whatever you say,  _ Skyguy.”  _ She gestured at a card for him to play. “Keep your secrets.”

He shook his head as he played his card. “It’s not a secret. Our family  _ is  _ complicated. Why are you so curious about all this?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess all I’ve ever known was that there are the Jedi and there are Sith.” She watched the other players lay down their cards. “So, it’s weird to find out that there’s this guy out there who’s apparently  _ really  _ strong in the Force, and he’s just, you know, living a life.” She smirks at him a little.

He laughs. “Well, I hate to burst your little perfect Jedi bubble, but there’s a whole family of us.”

It’s Rex’s turn to laugh. “After what I saw today, I’m not sure if that’s exciting or terrifying.”

Anakin grins wickedly at the trooper. “Usually a good bit of both.”

* * *

  
  


Rex, Ahsoka, and the rest of the troopers left Christophsis the next morning, bound for a new planet, a new battle. 

“Don’t forget me, Skyguy,” Ahsoka said with a cheeky grin as she climbed aboard the troop carrier.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Snips,” he said with a wink.

Rex clasped his arm in a firm shake. “Stay safe out there, Skywalker. You aren’t always going to have me around to cover your shebs.”

“Cover  _ my  _ shebs? I think I was covering  _ yours.” _

Rex stepped onto the transport. “Maybe. From a certain point of view.” With a casual salute, the ship took off, leaving Anakin and his crew to help the people of Christophsis begin to mend.

He was going to miss those two. 

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan’s commlink was incessant as he helped Satine out of the speeder at the royal landing platform. The shuttle that would carry him and Satine, as well as their two youngest was idling, waiting to take them into orbit to dock with the  _ Coronet _ . He silenced it again. He had  _ just  _ debriefed with Tol’ket. What could there possibly be left to talk about?

“I can’t believe we’re being called down in front of the Senate,” Satine hissed to him as she took his arm. “The Council has done nothing wrong.”

“I agree, my dear, but there’s no point in not being cooperative.” He squeezed her hand that rested in the crook of his elbow. “We’ll go, we’ll smile and be polite, and then we’ll come home.”

Satine huffed and started to say something, only to be interrupted by the sound of a rapidly approaching speeder. They turned to see Tol’ket flying at them at breakneck speeds. Shouting.

Obi-Wan couldn’t make out what he was shouting, but  _ did  _ suddenly feel a wild pull of the Force.  _ Get down get down get down  _ it seemed to shout. In a heartbeat, as Obi-Wan shoved Satine and the children to the platform surface and covered them, a tremendous explosion shook the platform. He felt the sting and punches of debris pummeling his back, and the heat singeing his tunic and hair. 

It felt like hours ticked by before Tol’ket and several guards were dragging Obi-Wan, Satine, and the children to their feet, checking them for injuries. Obi-Wan’s ears were buzzing loudly, he could barely hear Tol’ket, but he assured him, he was relatively fine, as was Satine. Lily had a nasty bump forming on her temple from hitting the pavement, and Korkie’s hands and knees were abraded, but everyone was, if not unscathed, at least walking away alive.

The shuttle was in flames, what was left of it, the pilot presumed dead. Satine watched in horror as a fire crew worked to control the blaze. Another speeder arrived, this one holding more Protectors and Kayla, Satine’s assistant and right hand. Tol’ket must have summoned her from the palace. She gently tugged on Satine’s elbow. “Your grace, let’s go back to the palace,” she gently urged.

Satine reached out for Obi-Wan, whose eyes flicked to Tol’ket. The man made a gesture for him to stay. “Go, darling. Take Lily and Korkie and go with Kayla. Lily needs that hard head of hers looked at.”

“Ben…” Satine’s voice shook with emotion.

“Go, my love. I’ll be right behind you.” He turned to Kayla. “Please send word to the Senate that we will obviously be delayed.”

The woman nodded, then tugged again on Satine with one hand, while grabbing Lily’s hand with the other, leading them to the waiting speeder. Korkie trailed behind, looking at his father. Obi-Wan gestureed for him to go.

When the family was gone, Tol’ket physically dragged Obi-Wan off to the side, out of earshot of the other Protectors and the fire crew. 

“Damnit, man, I was trying to get a hold of you! Your  _ friend  _ called to warn you of this!” Tol’ket growled.

“What? When? I talked to you as we were  _ leaving  _ the palace.”

“She called right after. I’m sorry, sir, but answer your karking comm when I call you.” Tol’ket pulled his helmet off and rubbed his temples. Obi-Wan felt a bit of remorse for causing his loyal captain so much trouble. 

But then the full weight of what the man had said dawned on Obi-Wan’s explosion addled mind. “She actually warned us? She came through?” And then another thought. “This was  _ Death Watch.” _

“Aye, sir. Your friend said as much,” Tol’ket confirmed as he watched the last of the flames be extinguished. “I thought I had everything well covered. I’m sorry, sir,” he said sadly.

Obi-Wan turned and stared at the shuttle, as well, fury bubbling deep down in his gut. He hadn’t felt like this since that night his family was betrayed and would have been led right into the hands of Maul, had it not been for Anakin.

He was  _ done  _ with the threats on his family. 

“This isn’t your fault, Tol’ket. But I will kill the bastards who did this. Mark my words.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you all, but I'm digging the imagery of Anakin Skywalker, ACTUAL peacekeeper, thinking nothing of wielding both a lightsaber AND a blaster. So Mando.
> 
> A couple of people asked or commented on the nature of how Rex was with Plo, and where was Wolfe, etc. In all honestly, this is probably a plot line I didn't fully flesh out, purely because the clones aren't as front in center from the view of the Kryze-Kenobi clan. They'll definitely continue to be interactions (no spoilers), but unlike in canon, Obi-Wan and Anakin aren't immersed in it with them. The best I can give you is my head canon for this story: Just like how the 501st and the 212th fight along side each other quite often in canon (as well as many other battalions, depending on who is around), often being led solely by Obi-Wan or Anakin, the same is true is this universe. So, just because Rex was with Plo, doesn't mean Wolfe wasn't there (Wolfe was actually waiting for Plo to stop running his trap and get on the damn transport already. No use keeping the Hutts waiting).
> 
> I am SO EXCITED for the next three chapters! I can NOT wait (but I will) to share them. The fourth (the one in progress now) can go fly a kite, because it's being ridiculously difficult.
> 
> PS- I think I forgot to translate the Mando'a Satine chastised Lily with in the last chapter and I am mad at myself about it!   
> Ori'buyce, kih'kovid means "All helmet, no head." I have a feeling Lily hears this A LOT.


	15. Coruscant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coruscant is a troublesome place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, a surprise chapter! This is to celebrate the conquering of a troublesome chapter and moving swiftly into the next. Also, I really just love this chapter, so, hooray! Happy Friday!
> 
> As always, you all are the BEST. Thank you for the love and support and appreciation and laughs.

_ 22BBY _

They were delayed a full day.

Scans showed that Lily’s bump on the head was also a concussion (to which Obi-Wan felt terribly guilty about, despite Satine reminding him that she could be  _ dead,  _ instead of just concussed). The healers had insisted upon a bacta infusion before allowing her to travel with the family, which had in turn revealed that calming, sleep inducing Force suggestions no longer worked on Lily. And, seeing as Lily had inherited her father’s general distaste for healers and medical procedures, Obi-Wan was left with having to physically wrangle the child into submission for the infusion.

Satine had been apoplectic about the bombing, once her initial shock had worn off. For one brief moment, Obi-Wan thought that his peaceful diplomat of a wife would go and hunt Death Watch down herself. But, instead, she had raged to him in their rooms, saying all the things he felt, deep down in his gut, and then had gone and cradled Lily close to her. Obi-Wan found Satine, hours later, sound asleep, arms still tightly wrapped around their little girl.

Obi-Wan nearly told Satine about the last minute warning from Bo-Katan, hoping to ease her mind. But had held his tongue, unsure of what the knowledge of her sister being a member of Death Watch would do, after nearly being killed by them. It was a bold move by the group, to be sure, but he decided to hold on to his secret. They would act again, he was sure of it, and he wanted to do nothing that could jeopardize the one thing that could keep his family safe.

She was still enraged as they entered the Mandalorian senate pod the next day. He took his place quietly behind her to her right as the pod moved out into the chambers. Her face was stony, eyes cold. Korkie, who had asked to come along to observe, sat in the back of the pod, jaw set.

“Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore,” Mas Amedda called, bringing the session to order. “You have been called to this hearing as the chair of the Council of Neutral Systems because of interference in battle by a relief team sponsored by your council. We are here to discuss suspending all such missions until further notice. What say you?”

Satine narrowed her eyes, stretching her already tall and lithe frame even taller. “What say  _ I?  _ I say this is a ridiculous and wasteful way to spend the Senate’s, as well as my, valuable time.”

“Do you not admit that the relief team you sponsored that was sent to Christophsis interfered during a battle? We can play the hologram for you, if you need to see it?” Mas Amedda said, voice passive.

“I do  _ not  _ admit that that team interfered. I have seen the footage, Speaker, and all I see is our team leader defending the ship full of food and medical supplies. All I see,  _ Speaker,  _ is a battleground our team was cleared to enter because they were told the Separatists forces had been neutralized.” She paused for a moment, letting the words settle through the chamber. “And all I see, sir, is an active warzone abandoned by the Jedi general in charge of it, putting civilians working a relief operation into peril.”

Murmurs filled the chambers, as senators and aides shifted uncomfortably under Satine’s words.  _ So much for smiling and being polite,  _ Obi-Wan thought to himself, keeping his face neutral. He didn’t blame Satine, though. It was absurd that Anakin’s actions upon arrival on Christophsis were being called out by the Senate. It was laughable, even. And Satine had been in no mood for it before the shuttle bombing. Now she was out for blood, in a pacifist sort of way.

Bail Organa motioned to speak. “Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, you have the floor,” Mas Amedda said. 

Organa’s pod made its way to the center, hovering near the Mandalorian pod.

“Distinguished members of the Senate, I must agree with Duchess Kryze.” He nodded to her. Satine tipped her head to him. “Not only is this a complete waste of our time, it is also absurd to call this interference with a battle. Clearly, Christophsis was  _ not  _ safe for relief efforts. The only ones at fault here should be those in the Grand Army of the Republic.”

More murmurs. Even some shouts of protest? Agreement? Obi-Wan couldn’t tell. 

“Alderaan also sponsors this relief operation, correct Senator Organa?” Mas Amedda asked.

“You are correct, Speaker. We also have Alderaanian citizens on the team in question.”

“Perhaps you are biased, then, Senator?”

Bail looked perplexed. “Of course I am biased. We’re discussing trumped up allegations of interference from a  _ relief operation.  _ If anything, Anakin Skywalker should be commended for his bravery and heroics.” He glanced over to Satine and Obi-Wan.

The Senate grew rowdy, with more sounds of agreement now. Padmé motioned to speak. “The floor recognizes Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo.” Padmé’s pod moved into the center.

“This is an outrageous set of circumstances to drag the Council of Neutral Systems into, and, I must agree with Duchess Kryze and Senator Organa. The fault lies with the command that cleared Christophosis for this relief operation. If anyone is to be called to the floor to discuss this incident, perhaps it should be the Jedi who led the battle and deemed it safe for civilians.”

The chamber erupted. Satine glanced over her shoulder at Obi-Wan, who leaned close to her ear. “Your allies are doing you a favor by being angry for you. Just let them run this into the ground, and we’ll be done here.” She nodded and offered him a stiff little smile. He gently squeezed her arm, offering comfort.

Arguments had broken out across the chambers, with a dozen or more pods hovering in the center, senators yelling over one another. “Let them yell it out, Satine. Just like at home,” Obi-Wan said, louder now, a grin on his face. He saw her shoulders shake with a laugh. 

Korkie tugged on his father’s sleeve. Obi-Wan turned and crouched down to hear him over the din of the chambers. “Are we really not going to say anything?” he asked, looking startled.

“There’s no need. Between your mother’s opening remarks and what our friends from Alderaan and Naboo have said, our case is firmly made. This  _ is  _ a waste of time, for all of us.” He gave Korkie a wry smile. “Now we’re just treating them like we would Lily. We’re just letting them all wear themselves down.”

Korkie snickered and leaned back in his seat, watching in amusement as senators fought to be heard.

The uproar seemed to go on for ages. Satine stood stoically, her face a mask of indifference. She seemed calmer now than she had at their arrival. As if the shouting and fighting of others was allowing her anger to bleed away into the Force. 

Finally, an exchange was had between the Chancellor, who had sat quietly through the whole exchange, and Mas Amedda.

The Chancellor stood and raised his hands to silence the chamber. The noise slowly lessened. “Good members of the Senate, please. Perhaps we do need to re-evaluate the incident at hand.” Murmurs again, until Chancellor Palpatine raised a hand. “We will table this discussion from the Senate floor for now, and the Jedi council will be met with, as well. For now, relief operations sponsored by the Council of Neutral Systems may continue.” He turned and looked at Satine, smiling good naturedly. “Perhaps, your grace, young Skywalker can be counseled to be less reckless while in the field.” 

Satine’s distaste for the Chancellor washed over Obi-Wan like a storm swept ocean wave, but her face remained calm and still. She tipped her head politely at the Chancellor. “Of course, your excellency.” She would spare no extra words for the man. Obi-Wan felt the idea of Anakin  _ not _ defending his ship and his crew, even amidst members of the GAR laughable, but he kept his mouth shut and face unreadable.

Within a matter of moments, the session was adjourned. Satine whirled on Obi-Wan as the pod moved back into place. 

“That was an epic waste of time! It’s as if we were called out just to make an example of the neutral systems.”

“Hmm...I don’t disagree, my dear. But, sadly, that is politics for you.”

* * *

It had been a mostly pleasant evening, with Padmé and Bail Organa. Even Lily, who Satine had been hesitant about bringing to Padmé’s apartment, had been on her best behavior, charming Bail with her precociousness. They had discussed heading back to Mandalore immediately, but when Padmé had invited the family to dine with her and the Alderaanian senator, Satine and Obi-Wan had decided a chance to relax was better than immediately climbing back on to the  _ Coronet.  _

What had  _ not  _ been pleasant was the string of messages Obi-Wan received throughout the evening. From “a friend,” as they were signed. No one but his family, Tol’ket, Kayla, and Almec had access to his commlink. He wondered if Tol’ket had made an executive decision to give  _ his friend _ the access code after the near disaster with the shuttle. 

Though, she probably had means to find it herself, he realized. He would put nothing past a member of Death Watch, at the point. Even one who was grudgingly helping him, for the sake of his children.

Obi-Wan finally excused himself toward the end of the evening to respond to the insistent messages.

_ “This better be important.” _

_ “It is of utmost importance. Meet me.” _

_ “I am with my family. I can’t just leave them.” _

_ “If you want to know what I know, you will figure out a way.” _

Obi-Wan groaned in frustration. He could possibly slip out late, after Satine and the children were asleep. He hated the idea of skulking around like some common criminal. But he hated the idea of his family in danger more.

_ Fine. It will have to be much later. Where?” _

His friend sent him an address, deep in the bowels of Coruscant’s lower levels. He wrinkled his nose. He hadn't been that deep into the city since he was a teenager, getting dragged out for some so called fun by Quinlan Vos. He had never found those trips particularly fun.

With a sigh of resignation he confirmed that he knew the general area and would message when he was on his way. That seemed to satisfy her. 

It was several hours later, after they’d returned from Padme’s apartment and wrangled Lily into bed, that Obi-Wan slipped out of his and Satine’s bed once her breathing evened out and her signature in the Force was quiet and dormant. He dressed quietly, clipping his lightsaber to his belt and tucking a slugthrower into a holster. 

He quietly slipped out of their room, down the hall, and out the door of the apartment they kept on Coruscant, making his way to a speeder. As he went, he sent a message to his  _ friend.  _ It was confirmed as he slipped the speeder out of the building’s garage and into the stream of downward descending traffic.

It was slow going, as traffic was, as usual, congested, but he finally made it down to the level of the meeting and found a spot to park the speeder where he hoped it would still be upon his return. Pulling the cowl of his cloak over his head, he took the short walk to the actual address, a seemingly abandoned building on a dank, quiet street.. For a moment, he questioned his intelligence for doing this, no one knowing where he was, and then pushed the unlocked door open.

It was dark inside with no power to be found, so he pulled out his lightsaber, igniting it for light. “Hello? Are you here?” he called as he reached out in the Force, searching for a glimmer of someone. But all he could feel was the strange discordant aura of the planet that Anakin had described. It unsettled him, and he felt his skin creep and crawl across his muscles. This felt wrong. But was it Coruscant that was wrong? Or the situation? Possibly both, he mused.

“Good. You’re here.”

_ That  _ was not the voice he was expecting. Deep, rumbling and far too aristocratic for the body it emanated from.

The face belonging to the voice stepped into the circle of blue light cast from Obi-Wan’s lightsaber.

“ _ Maul?  _ What in seven hells is this?”

Maul came no closer, but stalked around him, just at the edge of the light, shadows playing across his tattooed face, making the lines seem even harsher.. “Were you expecting someone else? You wound me _ , Kenobi _ .”

Obi-Wan turned with the monster, keeping him in his line of sight. “As a matter of fact, you are most certainly  _ not  _ who I was expecting.”

“Oh? You have other friends?” Maul chuckled, a menacing sound. “Perhaps a tryst? Is your duchess not keeping you entertained these days, my  _ friend?”  _

“You are  _ not  _ my friend, Maul.”

“I could be, Kenobi. We have a common enemy.” Maul kept pacing in a large circle. To his credit, he kept his hands clasped behind his back, not reaching for his lightsaber. Obi-Wan forced himself to stay centered and calm, matching Maul’s terrifying calmness.

“I don’t have any enemies, Maul. Unless I count you. After all, you have tried to steal my children from me a few times. Murdered my master. Generally good grounds to be someone’s enemy.”

Maul snarled. “Orders I was carrying out at the behest of my former master.” He bared his teeth, his rich voice sounding odd coming from his savage face. “Your enemy isn’t  _ me,  _ Kenobi. It is him. _ ” _

“How am I supposed to trust a single word you say?” Obi-Wan asked, turning as the Zabrak marched.

“The same man who tried to steal your children, that  _ boy _ of yours, betrayed me, Kenobi. Abandoned me. Left me for dead. Lucky for me, and for you and yours, I’m harder to kill than he realized. And now his plans,  _ our plans,  _ are being played out without me.” He stopped and faced Obi-Wan. “You and I, we can stop him.” He raised his fist. “We can stop him  _ together.” _

Obi-Wan went to open his mouth to press for details, but was stopped as a green plasma blade ignited. Korkie leapt out of the inky darkness. “Stay away from him, you monster!”

“Korkie, no!” Obi-Wan screamed as Maul whipped out his lightsaber, countering Korkie’s ambush handily. 

Korkie parried quickly, pressing Maul back, into the darkness. Maul countered him with ease, and, to Obi-Wan’s dismay, he only defended himself. But he feared that would change.

“For little royal brats, your children are  _ awfully  _ feral, Kenobi,” Maul remarked with a grunt, as he blocked a brutal cross from Korkie. 

“Korkie, stop! Let him be,” Obi-Wan tried again, trying to push in front of his son to get him to stop.

“No, Buir. He’ll kill us! That’s all he ever wants!” Korkie lunged and cut down toward Maul’s neck, only to have it blocked again, Maul shoving Korkie’s blade out of his space.

“Control your spawn, Kenobi, or I will,” Maul warned.

Obi-Wan, with a grunt, gathered the Force around him and  _ shoved  _ Korkie away from Maul, flinging him into the dark. His lightsaber clattered away, disengaging, somewhere lost in the shadows.

“Go, Maul. Just go,” Obi-Wan growled, as he put himself between his son and the beast who continued to plague him.

Maul studied him by the red glow of his blade. “We can help each other, Kenobi.” Obi-Wan heard Korkie climb to his feet, felt him standing close behind him. “Your children aren’t safe. Especially that desert rat. You just need to  _ listen _ .”

“In here! They’re in here!” Shouts came as the building was flooded with lights. Protectors rushed the building, slugthrowers drawn, leveling on Maul. “It’s him!”

Maul snarled. “Not those blasted things again!” With a mighty heave through the Force, Maul sent the wall of Protectors tumbling, flinging them into walls. He moved swiftly to the exit. “Another time Kenobi. I will  _ make  _ you listen, next time,” he growled as he pressed past Obi-Wan. Protectors scrambled to their feet, firing round after round at the Zabrak, but he was out the door, gone, a shadow fading into the underbelly of Coruscant.

“Blast it!” Obi-Wan shouted, disengaging his lightsaber. He spun on Korkie. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was wondering where the hell you were wandering off to in the middle of the night,” Korkie said, rolling his eyes as he retrieved his lightsaber. “Last thing I expected was to find you chatting it up with kriffing Darth Maul. Stars, Dad!”

“That….that wasn’t who I was expecting,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh as he walked out into the night, Korkie on his heels.

“Who were you expecting?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Dad…”

“No, Korkie. It’s for your own good. How did you get here?”

Korkie gestured at a speeder bike. “Mom’s not going to like that you just went off in the middle of the night to meet with mysterious strangers.”

Obi-Wan waved one of the Protectors over, indicating for the guard to take the bike back. “Your mother isn’t going to know.” He walked toward his speeder, Korkie a step behind.

“I think she already does. I didn’t bring these guys.”

Obi-Wan froze in place, scrubbing a hand wearily over his face. “ _ Osi’kyr. _ ”

* * *

Satine was waiting for them as they walked into the apartment.

Obi-Wan could not recall a time he had ever seen her more angry.

She whirled on Korkie first. “Korkie Jinn, go to bed.” She pointed down the hall toward his bedroom. “I have  _ plenty  _ to say to you about this, but it can wait until morning. So, go. Go to bed.”

Korkie nodded, and, with a pained glance at his father, skulked down the hall. Obi-Wan quietly removed his cloak and hung it while they waited for Korkie’s door to shut behind him. He turned and faced Satine when the door slid shut.

“Satine…”

“What were you thinking?” she hissed, her voice low, but ripe with anger and fear. “You just disappear into the night. No warning. Alone. What, Obi-Wan? What could you possibly be thinking?”

“I needed to meet with someone. It was about the children.”

“With  _ Maul?  _ Are you a kriffing lunatic?” She growled. “Of course you are. You’re a  _ dikuut jetti.  _ Blast it, Obi-Wan. If Korkie wasn’t so damn bad at sneaking around, you could have just  _ vanished.  _ I would never have known what happened to you _.” _

“Not with Maul,” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Well, Maul wasn’t who I was expecting.”

“Who the hell were you expecting then?” Obi-Wan would be impressed with how much rage Satine could pack into her voice without raising it above a stage whisper, if it wasn’t for the fact that all that fury was directed at him.

“I….I can’t tell you that.”

“You can’t  _ tell  _ me?”

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You can’t? Or you won’t?”

He squared his shoulders, despite the sudden weariness that had settled into his bones. “Both, actually, my love. It’s for your best interest.”

“My best interest?” She scoffed. “I will decide what is in my best interest, and, right now, my best interest is knowing that my husband and children aren’t sneaking off in the middle of the night to meet with Sith Lords and mysterious people.  _ Who  _ were you planning on meeting with?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I’m sorry, Satine. I can not tell you.”

She stared at him for a long moment, fire in her crystalline eyes, a flush of heat in her cheeks. “So be it.” She turned, moving toward their bedroom. “You’ll sleep in the guest room then.” With that, she disappeared.

Obi-Wan stood alone in the middle of the living area, furious at himself. At Maul. At kriffing Death Watch and Bo-Katan.

“Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even nearly perfect Obi-Wan needs to drop the F bomb on occasion. And with this combo, "fuck" may be the only appropriate reaction.
> 
> Also, Obi-Wan may possibly be an idiot. A lucky idiot, but an idiot, nonetheless.
> 
> Thank you thank you, as always!!


	16. The Highs and Lows of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Padme's occasionally dangerous work causes Anakin to think about their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And welcome back to Obi-Wan does dumb things...wait, no, that's not the title of this story. 
> 
> Anyhoo, as I was re-reading this and doing some editing and polishing I realized this chapter is pretty damn fluffy (for me), actually (with a chaser of angst), but I also think we may need a little fluffy palette cleanser. So, please enjoy.
> 
> You all are awesome, as always and I appreciate you all SO MUCH!!!

_ 21 BBY _

It wasn’t so much that Anakin worried about Padmé. She was smart, capable, and surprisingly fierce.

It was more that she seemed to have the uncanny ability to constantly put herself in harm’s way with the war in full swing.

First it was a hostage situation, being taken aboard General Grevious’ ship. Padmé, selfless and brave, had been ready to give her life for the war effort, but thanks to the quick thinking of Generals Ayla Secura and Kit Fisto, she was rescued, and the Separtist’s secret weapon, destroyed.

Then there was the whole mess on Rodia, where she’d gone to talk to her old family friend, Onaconda Farr, regarding the planet’s food shortages, only to be handed over to Nute Gunray himself. Amazingly, the idiot Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, had helped her escape, by somehow fooling her captors into thinking he was a Jedi.  _ That  _ would be a story to tell at boring state functions for years to come. 

So, maybe he worried about Padmé.

To be fair, she worried for him, particularly after that nasty business on Christophsis. She had told him about the particularly brutal senate session in which his mother’s Council of Neutral Systems had been called out, with threats of halting all relief aid, only to have Senator Organa and Padmé come to her rescue. Or, more accurately, the relief operation’s rescue. The Jedi had shown an over abundance of caution since then, which slowed Anakin and his team’s work, but also meant that Anakin didn’t have to fight off droids. He would admit it to no one, but he’d liked fighting off droids. 

With all that, Padmé and Anakin had made a point to check in daily, if at all possible, to ease the other’s mind that they were, in fact, safe.

Which is how Anakin found himself sitting alone in the bridge of his ship, which he had christened the  _ Copaani Gaan,  _ trying for the second day in a row to hale Padmé. And was growing increasingly more worried. She had been on her way to Naboo, the last time they’d spoken. Naboo was hardly a place he should have to worry about her, he’d thought. Which made his inability to reach her….worrisome.

Finally, the holoprojector blinked to life. For a brief moment Anakin’s heart unclenched in relief, only to realize he was looking at Sabé. Not Padmé.

“Sabé? Where’s Padmé?”

“Oh, Anakin! I’m glad you called. I was coming to call you.”

“Why were  _ you  _ going to call me? Where is Padmé?” Anakin’s worry was rapidly working its way to fear.

Sabé sighed, clearly resigning herself to just coming out with whatever it was she was needing to say. “First off, she’s  _ fine.  _ Or, she will be fine-”

“What the hell happened?”

“Calm down, Anakin. I’m getting to it,” she said in frustration. In the time of his relationship with Padmé, Sabé had morphed from diligent handmaiden in his presence, to an exasperated sister who thought her sibling’s choice of men was questionable. Anakin  _ thought  _ she liked him, but sometimes he wasn’t really sure. “Long story short, she was exposed to an airborne strain of Blue Shadow Virus. It’s been contained, thanks in large part to Padmé, and she’s on the way to the med center. They’ve already started her on the antidote.”

“Karabast! How in the world- no. No. Never mind that.” He rubbed his eyes. “I’m coming. I’ll bring the shuttle.”

“You don’t have to come. She’s fine.”

“Like hell I don't have to come. What time is it there?” He pulled up star charts as he talked.

Sabé looked at her chrono. “A little after noon. We’re enroute to Theed now.”

“OK. I’ll be there by evening meal.”

With that, he shut off the holo, and went looking for Raymus. He could manage the team at their next destination until Anakin came back.

  
  


* * *

He made it well before evening meal, pushing the  _ Copaani Gaan’s  _ little shuttle to its limits. Limits he had improved upon, in his boredom during long hauls between planets, but the ship definitely complained the last hour of the trip.

He found Padmé in the med center, tucked away in a quiet room. She was pale, with a hint of blue still marring her porcelain skin. An IV drip hung over the bed where Padmé rested, eyes closed.

“I know you’re not asleep, angel,” Anakin said softly, as he approached the bed.

Padmé’s eyes flew open. “Ani! How did you- Sabe! Oh, she’s a traitor.”

Anakin huffed a little laugh. “She has my undying gratitude.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I have so many questions, but we’ll skip the big ones, for now. How do you feel?”

She shifted in the bed, pushing herself more upright. He found the bed remote and raised it for her a bit. “I’m feeling better. Far better than I was.” She gestured to the IV bag over their heads. “This stuff certainly helps.”

“How the hell did you get exposed to Blue Shadow Virus? I thought it was eradicated.” He pulled a chair up next to her bed, and sat down, taking her hand.

“That’s what I thought, too. It’s a long story, Ani. Can we talk about it another time? I’m tired.”

“Of course, of course.” He kissed the hand he held. “I’m just so glad you’re ok. I don’t know what I would have done if you died.”

She stroked his cheek with her free hand, and smiled gently. “You would be ok, eventually.”

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment at the thought of his life without her. “No, no, I think it would ruin me. I can’t lose you, Padmé.” He held her gaze, unshed tears stinging his eyes.

“Oh, Ani, but you didn’t. And I don’t plan on that happening.” She opened her arms, and he stood, pulling her tightly to his chest. He sat on the edge of her bed and just held her for a long time, relieved that she was still there to hold, to feel her heart beat against his.

When they finally pulled apart, he stayed on the edge of her bed, deep in thought, staring down at their hands, fingers intertwined.

“Ani, what is it?”

He lifted his eyes, smiled shyly. “I’ve just been thinking, a lot recently, actually, and well…”

“Ani?”

Anakin squared his shoulders with resolve, and took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”

Padmé stared at him for a long time. An uncomfortably long time. Such a long time that Anakin started to wonder if he’d made a horrible, horrible mistake. He was certain he’d ruined everything. Just as he opened his mouth to apologize, take it back, Padmé flung herself against him, kissing him hard.

“Stars, Anakin! Oh my word! Of course,  _ of course  _ I’ll marry you!” she finally said when she released him.

“You will?” he asked, dumbly, a crooked, bemused smile on his lips.

“Why wouldn’t I marry you, you big, dumb gundark? I love you.”

“I love you, angel.” He kissed her, gentler this time.

When they broke apart, Padmé smiled wryly at him. “You know this doesn’t change anything. I’m not going to stop doing what I need to do. You know that, right?”

He chuckled. “Of course I know that. That’s why I love you. But, I guess I would just feel better knowing you are mine, and I am yours, even when we’re apart.”

She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled his forehead to hers. “I am yours forever, Anakin,” she said softly.

“Oh, for the love of the Force, please stop!” a strange yet familiar voice shouted from the far side of the room.

“I thought you were asleep,” Padmé said, amused, to the disembodied voice.

“How is anyone supposed to sleep through that disgusting sap fest?”

Anakin got up and walked to the curtain dividing the room. With a yank, he pulled it open.

“Ahsoka?”

“Hey, Skyguy.”

Anakin, eyebrow cocked in confusion, looked back over his shoulder at Padmé , who was laughing.

“Padawan Tano was with us down in the bunker. She’s pretty great,” Padmé said, as if that explained everything.

“That’s debatable,” he said with a shrug. “I think she’s got a big mouth and a snippy attitude.” He turned back to Ahsoka, giving her a concerned once over. “You ok, kid?”

“Better now that you two have stopped making me nauseated,” she said, smiling cheekily.

“How much of that did you hear?”

“All of it. I don’t know kriffing anything about romance, but a room in a medbay is probably not the most romantic place to confess your undying devotion and propose marriage.” Padmé barked a laugh.

Anakin turned to look at her, but she just waved at him as she giggled. “It was perfect, Anakin. Don’t listen.”

He turned back to Ahsoka. “I’m glad you’re ok, Snips. I guess I have you to thank for keeping Padmé safe.”

The girl shrugged, settling back into her pillow. “Only a little. Padmé is even better than you when the going gets rough.” She smiled her cheeky smile at him again. “I’m glad she’s ok, too, Skyguy. Now stop with the sappy stuff so I can sleep.”

He squeezed her foot good naturedly and offered her a smile. “You got it, Snips.”

* * *

  
  


Satine sat quietly on her throne as she listened to Obi-Wan brief the cabinet on the war. She knew Obi-Wan was pumping his old Jedi contact, Quinlan Vos, for details not known to the general public about the war, allowing Mandalore to bob and weave a bit more freely around the maelstrom of conflict.

_ At least I know about  _ this  _ secret contact,  _ Satine thought bitterly. Then shook her head, trying to shake the still lingering hurt and resentment from her head.

It had been several months since that horrible night on Coruscant, and their relationship had grown icy. Obi-Wan refused to tell her who he  _ thought  _ he was supposed to be meeting that night the Protectors found he and Korkie with Darth Maul. He swore it was for her own good. To keep her safe, the children safe, and to keep the contact safe, but something in her brain needled at her to doubt him.

So, they remained distant, reserved. And it  _ hurt.  _ Certainly, they had fought before. A lot, actually. Hells, their early romance was forged in their youthful fire of disagreement and debate- now as a parent of teenagers and adolescents, she wished she could apologize to Qui-Gon for their hormonal awfulness- but they had never once let a battle linger. Someone always conceded, or they would come to an understanding. Or  _ something  _ would make the fight end, and they’d fall into each other’s arms and turn their passion into something more…. _ entertaining. _

But this time, neither would budge. She was furious. She had forgiven the nondisclosure of Obi-Wan arming the Protectors with those awful slugthrowers and jetpacks years back. Clearly, it had been a good call on his part and she was grateful for his initiative.

She was struggling, however, to get past secret, midnight meetings in abandoned buildings in Coruscant’s underworld. She’d almost feel better if he’d been caught in a hotel room, smelling of some other woman’s perfume. When she thought about that night- which she did often- she couldn’t stop herself from thinking what else was he hiding? And what if the Protectors hadn’t found him and Korkie?

She realized her musings had pulled her out of reality. She shook her head again.

“Your grace,” Obi-Wan was saying. “Is there anything you’d like to add?” 

“No, thank you, Obi-Wan. I think, unless anyone else has business to discuss, that can be all for today.” She paused, waited for anyone in the cabinet to speak up. No one did. “Very well. We’ll adjourn for the day. Thank you all.” She stood, the cabinet following suit in respect, and made her way out.

Obi-Wan caught up with her as she entered the corridor toward her private office. “Do you need anything else from me today? I promised Lily I would help her with a history paper.”

“No, Obi-Wan, I’m fine. Go help Lily,” she replied, only sparing him a quick glance.

“Very well. I will see you at dinner then?” he asked, pausing before turning off to head toward the family’s residence. 

“Yes,” she said simply. Obi-Wan gave a quick nod, and started to move again, as Kayla came out of her small office that adjoined Satine’s. 

“Oh, good! You’re both here. Anakin is calling. He’s asked for both of you.”

“Oh?” Satine said, glancing at Obi-Wan as he spun on his heel to change course. “Is everything alright?”

Kayla smiled. “He didn’t tell me what it’s about, but he seems happy.”

Satine entered her office, Obi-Wan on her heels, to come face to face with the holographic image of her eldest son.

“Hi Mum, Buir,” he said in greeting as they stepped into his view. He looked positively buzzing with excitement.

“Hello, my dear boy. You’re looking well!” Satine said, smiling up at her handsome son. “Where are you?”

“Naboo,” he said simply.

Obi-Wan snorted. “Naboo? That doesn’t sound like relief work. More like pleasure.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, but couldn’t contain his bright smile. “I came here because Padmé was very sick.”

“Then  _ why  _ are you smiling like a tooka?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Because she’s much better and I asked her to marry me,” Anakin rushed out in a big breath.

Satine and Obi-Wan stared at him, jaws hanging open. Satine was the first to come to her senses.

“And…?”

“She said yes!” Anakin exclaimed. He was practically bouncing. 

“Well, this is happy news, Ani!” Satine said, smiling brightly. “Congratulations, my bright one.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, rubbing his chin before he spoke. “I admit, this is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcomed one. I am very happy for you and Padmé.”

Anakin beamed. “I couldn’t wait to tell you. I tried to get Padmé to join me in the call,” he looked off to something or someone in the distance, “but she’s still in the med center and didn’t want you to see her looking less than perfect.” He chuckled to himself.

“Oh, how silly,” Satine said, laughing. “This is wonderful. You all can come here, say the  _ riduurok _ , and we’ll have a fabulous dinner to celebrate. All of your favorites.”

Anakin shuffled nervously. “About that, Mum. I don’t think we’ll say the _riduurok_.” Satine looked at him in shock. “At least not as our official ceremony,” he added in a rush.

“Why not?” Obi-Wan asked. “It was good enough for your mother and I.”

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck, glancing again to the distance. “Padmé’s family is going to insist on a traditional Naboo wedding, I think.”

“Oh,” his parents said in unison. Obi-Wan glanced at Satine, an unspoken thought shared. You could not get more opposite a Mandalorian wedding than a Nabooian wedding.

“Yeah, I know,” Anakin said, seeming to read their shared thought. “But Padmé and her family will plan it all. All you’ll have to do is show up, looking glamorous.”

Satine snorted a little laugh. “Ani, don’t worry about it. Whatever makes you both happy, we’ll gladly support.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Just tell us where and when, and we’ll be there.”

Anakin beamed once again. “Oh, stars. I’m so excited. Thank you!”

“Of course, love. We’re so happy for you. We love you,” Satine said, smiling.

“I love you both, too. I’m going to get back to Padmé now. I’ll send more details later.” With that, his image blinked out. 

Satine and Obi-Wan turned to each other, both with bemused looks. Obi-Wan spoke first.

“You said she’d get tired of him.”

Satine shrugged. “This is the rare occasion I was wrong, Obi-Wan.” She moved past him toward her desk, settling into work.

He scoffed, turning to leave. “Of course, dear.”

With that, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, Obi-Wan is still dumb. Satine is still mad. It be like that sometimes. But their kiddo is HAPPY!
> 
> Now I just have to be patient and not spoil you all with the next chapter. 
> 
> Anakin's relief ship, Copaani Gaan, means "need a hand" in Mando'a. Thought it was an appropriate name (I wanted to call it the Helping Hand, but I couldn't find that in a satisfying Mando'a translation).
> 
> Disclaimer: I know basically nothing about Padme's handmaidens, but I have gathered, either correctly or incorrectly, that Sabe is close to her. I'm playing the "it's an AU" card on that relationship if I've gotten that wrong.
> 
> Again, I will say, you all are amazing, inspiring, kind, and HILARIOUS. Thank you thank you for the comments.


	17. I need to know you know that.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a big fat Nabooian wedding, and the Mandalorians are just along for the ride. Kinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I'm indulgent. It's Monday, its been pouring rain for two days, the world is on fire, and I just like sharing with you all. So, here ya go!

_ 21 BBY  _

> **_ROYAL WEDDING: ALLIES IN LOVE AND WAR_ **
> 
> _ Naboo, Theed Office _
> 
> _ The citizens of the Republic turn their eyes away from the horrors of war on this day as two royal houses find allyship in love and marriage. _
> 
> _ Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala of Naboo, former Queen of Naboo, will wed Anakin Skywalker, adopted son of Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore and her husband, the former Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The wedding is set to take place at the Naberrie’s family estate, Varykino, located in Naboo’s Lake Country region. _
> 
> _ The guests in attendance are expected to read as a venerable “who’s who” of Republic dignitaries, including Queen Breha and Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan, Jedi Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, and Plo Koon, and close family friend of Amidala and fellow Nabooian, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine….. _

Obi-Wan continued to read the absolute drivel of an article regarding his son’s wedding as he sipped his morning tea on the private terrace of his and Satine’s guest quarters. It was a complete fluff piece, with quite a few misconstrued notions, but he understood the importance of mindless distraction during times of war. The corresponding image, however, was lovely. Anakin and Padmé’s engagement portrait, both dressed in the standard ceremonial garments of their homes and stations. They were a strikingly beautiful couple, that was for certain. 

Satine sat across from him, reading her own datapad as a stylist fussed with her hair, preparing it for her extravagant headdress. If it wasn’t for the fact they were on Naboo, he’d tease her about upstaging the bride. Well, he’d tease her if their relationship wasn’t so difficult at the moment.

“At least it will be a beautiful day for a wedding,” Obi-Wan mused to no one in particular, turning his gaze to look out over the beautiful lake the villa sat above.

“Does Naboo ever even have bad weather?” Satine asked, off handedly, not looking up from her reading.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “I don’t think so.”

His commlink buzzed then, causing Obi-Wan to sigh dramatically. He set his tea cup down and answered it. 

“What is it, Tol’ket?”

“Sir, we need you down here.”

“Is it urgent? We do have a wedding to prepare for.” Satine rolled her eyes. All Obi-Wan needed to do was shave and brush his hair before getting dressed in his finery. 

“It’s….pressing, sir.” 

Obi-Wan sighed again. “Alright. I’ll be down in a moment.” 

“Very good, sir.” The commlink shut off, and Obi-Wan finished his last sip of tea before standing.

“I’ll be back shortly, my dear,” he said to Satine as he went to leave. 

She gave him a quick, unreadable glance before going back to her reading. “Of course,” she said, waving him off as if you were a member of the household staff. He huffed a little sigh, and sent a little prayer to the Force that they could at least pretend to be on more than just cursory speaking terms with one another throughout the day’s festivities.

With that in mind, he made his way down to the temporary base of operations for the family’s Protectors. Tol’ket met him at the door. The room was empty.

“Where is everyone?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I asked them to leave. It’s your  _ friend.” _

Obi-Wan stiffened. “Which one?”

Tol’ket activated the holoprojector. “That one.”

Bo-Katan stood before him. “Kenobi,” she said in greeting.

“Lady Kryze. I suppose this isn’t a social call.”

“Afraid not,” she said, curling her lip in a sneer. “Death Watch has been busy. Several bombs are planted around the estate. I’m sending that bastard,” she gestured at Tol’ket, “a schematic of where they are.”

“Death Watch is making a move  _ today?  _ That’s an awfully bold move, considering the guest list,” Obi-Wan said.

Bo-Katan rolled her eyes. “Trust me. I know. I tried to talk sense into the leaders, but they’re set on this. Listen, some of those bombs are live, and their locations are marked, but the ones I set have been tampered with, and won’t go off.”

“You’re on Naboo? Maybe you should come to your nephew’s wedding,” Obi-Wan said with a cheeky grin.

She scoffed. “Consider this information a wedding gift to the happy couple.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Now, listen. You need to make this a big deal. Death Watch needs to know you’re on to them.”

“Wouldn’t that put you in danger?”

“I’m covering my shebs, _ jetii _ . Don’t worry your pretty little head about me. Just make a show about how your  _ mighty  _ Protectors foiled a plot by Death Watch. It will be important.”

“But-” 

“Just do it, Kenobi. Trust me. Have I given you a reason not to trust me yet?”

“Possibly the fact you’re with kriffing Death Watch,” Tol’ket muttered.

“Now, listen here, you  _ or’dinii,  _ you need me here, if you want this kriffing family to stay alive,” Bo-Katan spat.

“ _ Aruetii,”  _ Tol’ket growled.

“Stop it, you two.” Obi-Wan rubbed his temples. “I have teenagers, and you two are worse than them.” He turned his attention back to Bo-Katan. “Lady Kryze, you have my sincere thanks for this information if it proves true. I do wish you would step out of the shadows, though and make yourself known to Satine.”

Bo-Katan scoffed again. “Not happening, Kenobi.” She pushed a few buttons on a gauntlet. “There ya go, asshole,” she said to Tol’ket. “Better get to work.”

She made a move to disconnect, but Obi-Wan stopped her as a thought popped into his head. “Lady Kryze, a moment, please.”

She looked behind her shoulder surreptitiously. “What?” she growled.

“Are you by any chance familiar with a Zabrak that goes by the name of Darth Maul?”

Her brow furrowed, puzzled. “No, why?”

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin. “Hmm, well, it’s a long story of mistaken identity. I thought maybe you had given him my private commlink.”

“I don’t  _ have  _ your private commlink, Kenobi. I only know how to reach this idiot,” she gestured at Tol’ket. Her face softened and turned thoughtful. “Be careful, Kenobi. The galaxy is a wild place these days. You never really know who’s your friend and who’s your enemy.” 

With that, she was gone. Tol’ket growled in frustration, but then he pulled up the files she sent, and immediately began barking commands into his commlink. After a few minutes, he turned back to Obi-Wan. “How do you want to handle the second part, sir? About making it known we “discovered” this plot?”

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. “I’ll handle it for now, Tol’ket. I think we’ll hold off until after the festivities, though. No use in concerning the guests. Just make sure  _ all  _ of those bombs, even the supposed safe ones, are found and deactivated or detonated safely.”

“Yes, sir!” With that, Tol’ket went out, off to help his men.

* * *

  
  


Several hours later, as Obi-Wan was strapping Anakin’s polished beskar chestplate on, Tol’ket stuck his head in the room. “All clear, sir.”

“Good man, Tol’ket, thank you,” Obi-Wan said, giving him a curt nod from behind Anakin. Tol’ket quietly left, just as he came in. Anakin looked over his shoulder at Obi-Wan, quirking an eyebrow in question. Korkie, fiddling with his own beskar, turned to look at him, too.

“What was that?” Anakin asked.

“Just a secondary security sweep. Nothing to be concerned about,” Obi-Wan said vaguely, turning Anakin to face him for an inspection. He could see his reflection in the chestplate. Anakin shrugged, used to Obi-Wan’s obsessive tendencies about security. Obi-Wan smirked a little to himself at that.

With a dramatic growl of frustration, Lily suddenly burst into the room. She was practically a miniature version of Satine; sunlight blonde hair carefully pinned and curled and embellished with Mandalorian lilies, a formal dress in blues, greens, and purples made her blue eyes dance. Even her fierce frustration was a carbon copy of one of Satine’s expressions.

“Buir, this is the worst! I hate all of this!” She flopped dramatically onto a settee. “And why do I have to walk down the aisle with Ryoo and Pooja? I’m not Ani’s niece. I’m his  _ vod’ika!” _

Anakin chuckled as he turned to grab his belt and lightsaber, leaving his sister’s dramatics to his father. 

“Because, my little love, that’s what little girls do at weddings on Naboo,” Obi-Wan said, sitting down next to Lily on the settee.

“I am  _ not  _ a little girl-”

“Then don’t be so childish,” Korkie said with a snort, strapping on his own belt and lightsaber.

Lily shot him a look that made Obi-Wan thankful looks didn’t actually kill, but she didn’t respond to him. She turned back to her father. “I am not a little girl. I am almost  _ twelve.  _ I think I should get to stand with Ani, like you and Korkie.”

Anakin walked over to her and crouched down. “Hmm, Lily, you make a fair point.” Lily looked at him in surprise. Korkie made a strangled sound of disbelief. “But, here’s the thing. These Nabooians like to make a big show of  _ everything.  _ I learned that the hard way when I was younger than you. So, if you stand with me, you’re going to have to stand still for a  _ long  _ time. You’ll have to be very still, and very quiet. You can’t go sit with Mum if your legs get tired or if you get bored. If you walk with Ryoo and Pooja, you get to sit with Mum, and you can look out at the lake or the trees or, hell, even the sky, and no one will care. Your choice, vod’ika. You won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t want to stand with me. But I would be  _ honored  _ if you did.”

Obi-Wan smiled at Lily’s shocked expression. Clearly she wasn’t expecting anyone to actually listen to her reasoning. Her brain eventually began to function again, and, after a hesitation, she threw her arms around Anakin, knocking him over. “I’ll stand with you, Ani! I promise I’ll be so still. Not a muscle. I won’t even blink.”

Anakin laughed. “You can blink, Lily Bo. That’s ok.” He hugged her tight, sitting on the floor. He looked over at Obi-Wan, cocking an eyebrow.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “I’ll go let the bride’s family know there will be a minor change to the procession.”

* * *

  
  


Lily, to her credit, held to her promise. She took her duty as one of Anakin’s attendants very seriously, marching stony faced down the aisle behind Korkie and in front of Obi-Wan. She stood like a statue; tall, proud, fierce and regal; looking every bit the Mando’ad she was. 

The Nabooians may like to put on a show, but it was _always_ a beautiful show. The ceremony was beyond lovely, from the flowers and finery, to the view, to the Naberrie women’s regalia. When Padmé made her appearance, in a surprisingly simple dress and veil of exquisite lace, Obi-Wan had to lay a hand on his son’s shoulder to steady him, so afraid he was that the young man would pass out. “I always knew she was an angel,” Anakin whispered.

Satine, seated in the front row beside Prime Minister Almec- sadly, Anakin’s Mandalorian family was small, compared to Padmé’s family full of aunts, uncles, and innumerable cousins- was stoic through most of the ceremony, but began to cry quietly as the young couple exchanged their vows- Anakin had even worked the Basic translation of the  _ riduurok _ into his. Obi-Wan caught her eye, and offered her a compassionate smile. She smiled back, tipping her head down ever so slightly.

The ceremony closed with a passionate kiss, a wild cheer, and many happy smiles. The newlyweds made their way back up the aisle, followed by their families. As Obi-Wan took Satine’s arm and led her up the aisle behind Korkie and Lily, he leaned close to her ear. “Do you feel old? Because I feel ancient.”

Satine laughed, music to Obi-Wan’s ears. The first genuine laugh she’d made for him in months. “Oh, Ben, you’ve been complaining about feeling old for years.” She turned her face to him, a little grin on her face. “But, yes, today I feel terrifyingly old.”

He chuckled. “You are ageless, my love.”

She snorted. “If only that were true.”

* * *

  
  


Somehow, everyone survived the long, protracted rites of passage that came with a Naboo wedding. Portrait holos were taken of every conceivable mix of family and friends with the couple. A long and exhausting receiving line was only made interesting for Obi-Wan by his constant vigil to ensure Lily didn’t break loose and start chaos for chaos’ sake. He briefly considered letting her go and joining her, just for the hell of it. Once the receiving line was declared finished and the party officially began, speeches were made by an untold number of friends and family members (including one by the Chancellor. Obi-Wan didn’t understand what Palpatine had to do with his son’s marriage or why he deserved a speech, but he let it slide, concentrating instead on the bone crushing pain Satine was putting him through while she held his hand under the table and seethed behind her serene mask). Obi-Wan’s speech made Satine cry. He even saw Anakin swipe at his face.

They survived it all, and finally made it to the actual enjoyable portion of the evening. Lily, absolutely crazed on confections, had made friends with several of Padmé’s younger cousins, and seemed to be plotting some sort of hostile takeover of Varykino. Korkie was deep in conversation with the Togruta girl that Anakin and Padmé had introduced as Ahsoka Tano, Master Plo’s padawan. Obi-Wan had recognized her from the battlefield holo of Anakin’s misadventures on Christophsis, fighting bravely back to back with Anakin, and now she and Korkie seemed to have become fast friends. Anakin and Padmé were, well, madly in love, and lost in that fact.

Obi-Wan, reclined in his chair at the family table, knocked back the last of his wine, and stood, pulling Satine to her feet alongside him. “Come, Duchess. Let’s make Mace Windu squirm some more. He’s always hated these ‘ _ honored Jedi guest’ _ wedding details.”

She smirked at him. “You left the order sixteen years ago, Obi-Wan. You don’t have to make a show of it anymore.” But she allowed him to lead her to the dance floor, where others, including their son and his wife, were swaying to some soft jazz music. 

“It’s only a show for Windu. He’s a stick in the mud, and it’s fun to watch him squirm.” He pulled her close to him, grateful that the cloud that seemed to perpetually hang over their marriage since that night on Coruscant seemed to have lifted, at least for the night. She was possibly the most beautiful he had ever seen her. Her cheeks were blushed from a few glasses of spectacularly good wine (the Naberries had exceptional taste in wine, apparently), and her eyes were bright and dancing with merriment, something he had missed a great deal. Something that had been missing since the war began. 

He swayed with her to the music, forgoing any of the courtly, proper dancing they both knew well, and just relished being close to her. “Far cry from our wedding night,” he said with a low chuckle. 

She laughed, again, the sound was delightful music to him. “This is lovely, to be sure, but I think I prefer our wedding night,” she said. She turned her head slightly to watch Anakin and Padmé dancing, lost in their own little world of bliss. “And to think we were once so in love.” Her voice held a hint of melancholy, and for a moment, the merriment in her eyes dimmed.

Obi-Wan gently turned her chin to look him in the eye. Their faces were close, practically touching. “You do know I still love you with all my heart, don’t you? When I look at you, I still feel for you the way Anakin must feel for Padmé right at this moment. Possibly even more so.” His brow furrowed in concern. “Satine, I need to know you know that.”

Satine’s eyes softened, and she made a funny little gasp. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if it was of surprise or of something else. “Oh, Ben. I do know. I do. And I do love you. With every cell of my being.” She looked away, tilting her head down. “But I just don’t _like_ you very much right now.”

He sighed. “Satine…”

“Don’t, Ben. Don’t make the same old excuses. It won’t change the way I feel.” 

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her flush to him. “Listen, Satine. You may as well know this now. Try not to react when I tell you. I don't want to upset others.” She looked at him quizzically, but kept her feet moving with his. “We neutralized a Death Watch plan to bomb the wedding today.”

She stiffened in his arms. “What? How? When?”

He tucked her head down to his shoulder as he talked, grateful she had exchanged her massive headdress for something more sedate for the evening. “The what is just what I said. There were several bombs planted. We found them all and deactivated them.” He felt her shake her head against his shoulder; he assumed in disbelief.

“As for when, it was all done long before the ceremony began. I didn’t want to worry anyone, so Tol’ket and I opted to keep it to ourselves. We were able to move swiftly because of  _ the how.”  _ He paused, moved his lips closer to her ear. “I have an informant in Death Watch.”

Her head bolted up off his shoulder. “You _what_!?” Several heads turned toward them at her exclamation. She smiled politely before turning her attention back to him. “How did that happen? How can you trust them?”

Obi-Wan gently moved them, swaying to the music, til they were on the far edge of the floor, away from most of the guests. “They approached me. And, let me say, trusting them has been hard, but they have proven themselves more than just today.”

“What?” The realization dawned on Satine. “The shuttle.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I almost got that message too late. That’s why Tol’ket practically ran us over. That’s why I never decline his calls anymore.”

“Tol’ket knows?”

“Yes, and he’s violently unhappy with the whole thing. But he trusts me, and I trust this person.”

“Who is it, Ben?” Satine looked into his eyes, searching. For a moment, Obi-Wan thought about telling her it was her sister. That her sister wasn’t dead. That it was worse than that. That she worked with the insurgents that kept trying to kill her and her children. That her sister worked with a group who wanted to undo all the work Satine had done over the last almost two decades. 

But he stopped himself. He couldn’t be the one to break her heart like that. Especially not on a night like this, when, for the first time in ages, Satine’s eyes had been lit with happiness and delight. Even now, with what he  _ had  _ divulged, she still seemed buoyant, like he hadn’t seen her in so long.

No. If anyone was going to break her heart, it would be Bo-Katan herself. She could be the one to destroy her sister. Not him.

He shook his head. “For your sake and their sake, Satine, I really can’t tell you. Please, my love, trust me on this.”

She looked up at him for a long moment, her lips a thin, tight line, her elegant brows pinched together. “Alright.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Alright, Ben. I trust you on this.”

He wrapped her tighter to him, and rested his cheek on her hair, inhaling deeply of her soft lily scent. “Thank you, my love. Thank you.” They had stopped moving, but were far enough from the clustered dancers to not get in the way. They stood like that for a long moment, feeling settled and together for the first time in months.

The moment was ruined with a loud, familiar war whoop followed by a tremendous splash down below. They broke apart and ran to the railing overlooking the lake- a good ten meters below- to see Lily, fully clothed in her formal dress, delightedly floating on her back in the inky black lake. A line of Naberrie cousins stood, mouths agape, at a railing a level below, from where Lily must have made her dive.

“Lily Bo!” Satine exclaimed, followed by an impressive string of Mando’a obscenities, some of which even Obi-Wan didn’t know. 

To Lily’s credit, Obi-Wan thought, the child blanched at her mother’s onslaught. Anakin, who had appeared at Obi-Wan’s side, only laughed. 

Korkie, now standing beside his mother, the padawan, Ahsoka at his side with an aghast look on her face, snorted. “It’s not a party until Lily makes some mayhem.”

* * *

> _**Death Watch Bombing Plot Foiled!** _
> 
> _Naboo, Theed Office_
> 
> _Obi-Wan Kenobi, husband of Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore, announced this morning that the Mandalorian Protectors, the royal family's guard, uncovered a Death Watch plan to bomb the wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala yesterday._
> 
> _Few details were released, but the Protectors are being hailed as heroes for their quick action to find and neutralize the threat._
> 
> _Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, a guest of honor at the couple's wedding, when asked about the news, was quoted to say, "We are forever grateful for the brave and heroic actions of the Protectors yesterday. Not only did they prevent a beautiful ceremony from turning tragic, but they potentially saved countless lives. Mine included."_
> 
> _Death Watch, a Mandalorian insurgency group, has been known for other bombings and acts of violence, but in the past they have all been focused on Mandalore. This is the first time they have attempted an act of terrorism off world....._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY TIME! I used to work at a place that was a popular venue for really lux weddings (like, featured in Martha Stewart Weddings mag type weddings). So, I imagined all the most obnoxious things from those wedding writing this. I may not have gone into tons of detail, but that's kinda what I was building off of in my head. Think of the most over the top wedding you can imagine, and then make it Naboo.
> 
> For the record, in the unlikely event of my nuptials, I would prefer a Mandalorian wedding.
> 
> FYI, Lily is NOT almost twelve, despite what she says. She's just eleven. Once again, she wants people to forget that she's still young. Oh, Lily Bo....
> 
> I can't all Star Wars jazz music JIZZ music. I tried and...I just CAN'T. I'm not even going to pretend to be sorry.
> 
> Does everyone feel a bit better about our favorite couple and their disagreement?
> 
> There's only so many ways to say THANK YOU for all the love and encouragement. Buckle up, y'all, cuz things are getting interesting in coming chapters!


	18. Married Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a harrowing experience, Anakin and Padme get a rare opportunity to properly enjoy their new life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SUPER fluffy fluff (for me) and a bit short. But the next few chapters are going to be a ride, so you'll thank me for this little fluffy rest. 
> 
> Please note, I am mashing the timeline a bit for AU narrative purposes.

_ 21 BBY _

__

Marriage was hard.

Well, being married to Padmé ,  _ loving  _ Padmé was easy. Natural. Like breathing. Anakin’s love for her flowed through him as easily as the Force flowed through him.

But the whole _marriage_ thing- spending time together, actually sharing a space and co-existing, learning each other’s little habits, building a life and a partnership together? All of that was proving extraordinarily difficult. He wanted their marriage to be like his parents. The way his mother, without looking up from her reading, would push the sugar bowl towards his father at just the right moment each morning as he fixed his tea. The way his father knew just when to offer a steadying hand against his mother’s back to calm her. The way they exchanged these  _ looks  _ that seemed to hold entire, lengthy conversations in a fraction of a second. He  _ wanted  _ that. 

But, he supposed, trying to start a life together in a galaxy torn apart by war was a lot to ask. 

As it was, save for the few secluded days tucked away deep in the Lake Country of Naboo, they had spent very little time actually  _ together.  _ Anakin had skipped around the galaxy, chasing the war, offering care and help where and how he could in its aftermath.

Padmé , of course, had gone back to Coruscant to attend to her duties as a senator, doing her own part to try to bring closure to a war that only seemed to escalate. He had been relieved that she had stayed relatively safe for once. 

Or, at least that’s what he thought as he left Ryloth. 

He had just spent weeks on Ryloth, helping the Twi’leks after months of Separtist occupation. But, as he wrestled in the engine room with a malfunctioning, cranky, irritating hyperdrive, Ahsoka, who had decided he was her new pen pal of sorts, commed him.

“Hi, Snips,” he greeted her miniature holographic image distractedly, setting his holoprojector on a ledge so he could continue fighting with his ship.

“Hey, Skyguy. Have you talked to Padmé yet?” she asked, chewing on a nail while she talked.

“ _ Yet? _ I haven’t talked to her since yesterday.” He glanced at her image. “Why? What’s happening?”

“Well, let me start by saying  _ she’s fine.” _

His head shot up. “Ahsoka, what’s going on?”

“Do you know what a Zillo Beast is?”

“Nooo….should I? What does this have to do with Padmé?”

“I’m getting there, sheesh. Hang on, I have a picture.” She poked a few buttons on her wrist and her image was replaced with the image of a massive  _ monster  _ scaling the  _ Senate building.  _

“Kriffing hells! Is that fake?” He dropped his spanner on the floor and picked up the device to get a better look. 

“Not fake. Very real. Very, very real,” Ahsoka’s disembodied voice said. 

“Oook. So, again, what does this have to do with Padmé?”

Ahsoka’s image blinked back. “Well, she kinda got mixed up with it when it went on a rampage through the city. But she’s ok. Totally fine. Maybe a little bruised up. But fine. Absolutely ok. Master Yoda and Master Secura and a few others, plus Rex and Cody and the boys got the thing down.”

“Why was it even on Coruscant?” Anakin turned back to his work, doubling down on getting the ship to cooperate so he could get back to Padmé.

“Now, that’s a  _ long  _ story. Short version is the Chancellor decided it was a good idea to bring it here to study.”

“Umm, clearly that was the wrong call,” Anakin said, cocking an eyebrow as he worked.

“Yeah, clearly. The mess it made.” She made a low whistle. “Well, it’s safe to say, Coruscant is a wreck.” She paused, cocking her head in thought. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know so you didn’t hear things on the holonet or something and freak out.” He flashed her a dirty look. “Don’t look at me like that. You would totally freak out. Anyway, communications are really spotty right now. The thing trashed the Senate building’s comm tower, among  _ a lot  _ of other things. I’m not sure if Padmé has even made it home. So, I thought I’d call to give you a head’s up.”

Anakin smiled at her image. “Thanks, Snips. I appreciate it. Thanks for keeping an eye out for Padmé. Wish you could be with her any time I wasn’t. I’d never worry.”

“See? I knew you liked me, Skyguy.”

“You’re not too bad, kid. I’ll take you out to lunch at Dex’s when I get back if you’re still around.” He banged on the hyperdrive, trying to get the plasma coil to release. “Which might be three years from now at the rate this ship is moving.”

Ahsoka chuckled. “Well, anyway. I gotta run. Take care of yourself, Skyguy.”

“You too, Snips.” He disconnected from her, then tried Padmé. No luck.  _ Damnit _ . He breathed deep, and said a little prayer of gratitude for that annoying Jedi kid watching Padmé’s back for him.

He turned back to his ship’s hyperdrive. “You’re not going to cooperate with me, are you?”

The ship all but glowered at him. 

* * *

Anakin burst into the apartment one long day later, startling Padmé, causing her to practically levitate off the sofa where she sat reading.

“Stars, Anakin! Don’t scare me like that!” Padmé yelped with a frustrated laugh, settling herself back down into the cushions.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a full day. Are you ok?” He rushed to the sofa, gathering her into his arms, only for her to wince. He loosened his grip, and worriedly studied her face. “You’re not ok! I knew it.” 

“Calm down, Ani. I’m fine. Just a little bruised up. A couple of cracked ribs,” she said with a casual shrug. He gave her a look of consternation, but she only waved it off. “I’m sorry you couldn’t get through. Comms on this side of the planet are all down, save maybe the temple. Did Ahsoka tell you about what happened?”

He nodded as he gingerly inspected her for wounds. “She’s a little snitch,” Padmé said with a chuckle.

He leaned in, kissing the laugh off of her lips. “You’re supposed to be safe on Coruscant,” he said once they broke apart. 

She laughed again. “No one expected the Chancellor to bring a giant lizard  _ here _ to study.”

“You’re making light of this. Padmé, I worry for you.”

She sighed, pressing her palm to his cheek. “We talked about this, Ani. I’m not going to stop doing what I need to do.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Though, really, honestly, I did not expect to be in  _ that  _ particular kind of danger.” She smiled at him, pushing him back into the cushions and settled in against him. “Besides. You’re one to talk, off running around, picking up the pieces of the galaxy. You’re not exactly living an easy, safe life either.”

“Maybe we should just run away and hole up in some tiny cabin in the Lake Country,” he said, kissing the crown of her head.

She laughed merrily. “That sounds lovely, but we would both be bored beyond comprehension. I give us a week before we were making up catastrophes for us to fix.”

“That’s generous. I was going to say three days.” They both chuckled.

Padmé snuggled down further into Anakin’s arms. “I  _ am  _ glad you’re home, Ani. It’s nice to have some time together. Gives us a chance to live like we’re actually married to each other.”

He hummed a little response as he stared out at the view from their balcony. “Funny, I was just thinking that myself.” The next thing Padmé knew, she was being swept up into Anakin’s arms and bridal carried to their bed. 

Later, as they reclined among a pile of pillows, naked limbs tangled together, they made hypothetical plans for their hypothetical cabin, hypothetically hidden deep in the Lake Country. Anakin couldn’t help but wish that it wasn’t so hypothetical, as the dark, itchy feeling of Coruscant began to slowly settle back over his mind. 

* * *

  
  


That night, they ordered in far more food than they were capable of consuming, and ate, wrapped in a shared blanket, on the sofa, mindlessly watching some popular holoshow.

“Have you talked to your parents recently?” Padmé asked, as she shoveled noodles into her mouth, far less ladylike than anyone but Anakin would suspect her of being. 

“No, not really. I’ve talked to Korkie more than anybody.” Ankin reached to take some of her noodles, only to be slapped away. “Hey! I thought we were sharing.”

“I don’t share these.”

“Noted,” he laughed, turning back to his own dish. “Anyway, why do you ask?”

“Just curious. There’s a lot of reports coming in from Mandalore about Death Watch.”

Anakin grunted around a bite of his dinner, before swallowing to speak. “Last time I talked to Dad, it sounded like they were pretty kriffed off by the Protectors uncovering those bombs at our wedding. Lots of threats.”

Padme nodded. “Do you think your family is safe?”

Anakin shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. Death Watch seems to go back and forth between serious efforts to kill someone or everyone, to just being troublesome-”

As if on cue, a news anchor cut in over the show. “ _ Reports just in of a saboteur destroying a Republic cruiser earlier today. Early reports are saying the attacker was wearing Mandalorian armor. We are still awaiting confirmation….”  _

Anakin groaned. “Oh, kriff.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost cut this chapter.
> 
> It was so fluffy for my taste, and I kept trying to force it to do something it didn't want to do. So, I almost just dumped us right into what's coming, which, narratively, would have probably worked. But I loved the first couple of paragraphs (pre-Ahsoka's call), and didn't want to lose them and felt they were vital for Anakin's development (he just REALLY loves Padme y'all), but I couldn't think of a better place to put those words.
> 
> And then the thing at the end came to me, the stars aligned, and this little poof of fluffiness worked out nicely...and now you all know (kinda) what lies ahead. 
> 
> You may want to get out your air sick bags and take a Dramamine, because, folx, it's about to be a wild ride!


	19. Concordia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Death Watch's activity on the rise, threatening not only Mandalore, but the Republic, Obi-Wan, Satine, and Jedi Master Mace Windu travel to Concordia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! I'm traveling tomorrow (breaking free of my COVID shackles and going to socially distant visit one of my best friends for the day). I would normally be posting tomorrow, but with travel, it was either make you all wait til Saturday....or post today. I'm too nice!
> 
> This was hard stuff to write (this and the next few chapters), because I basically rewrote one of my favorite arcs in TCW. It's hard to "fix" something you already love, but I think it has turned out really well, and fits really, really well into this universe we've created!

_ 21 BBY _

It really wasn’t how Obi-Wan wanted to be spending their evening- sipping cocktails and exchanging diplomatic pleasantries with the governor of Concordia, Pre Vizsla. 

But he also hadn’t expected their afternoon, as he and Satine strolled with Mace Windu around the Memorial Shrine and Gardens, to end with a bone jarring explosion and the Concordian man suspected of setting the bomb jumping to his death. 

Nothing about the day had been good, from Windu’s arrival- much to Satine’s consternation- to the accusations about Mandalore raising an army to fight with Separatists against the Republic after the attack on the Republic cruiser, and now, Windu had run off somewhere, to  _ investigate,  _ leaving Obi-Wan with an earpiece to a two way comm, “In case I need assistance,” the Master Jedi had said as he rode off into the sunset on a commandeered speeder bike.

So, here he sat in a lounge in the governor's mansion, feeling ill tempered, wishing he was home playing dejarik with Korkie or reading with Lily, smiling politely at Pre Vizsla, who was an insufferable ass, he had decided. 

“Master Windu seems to be taking an awful long time to meditate,” Vizsla said, as he got up to freshen their cocktails at the bar.

“Oh, you know how those Jedi are. They never do anything by halves,” Satine said, offhandedly, smiling playfully at Obi-Wan. What Vizsla couldn’t see, as his wife smiled at him, was the strain in her eyes. She may not like the Master Jedi, but she was getting concerned at his extended absence.

“I suppose you would certainly know, hmmm, Obi-Wan?” Vizsla said, as he mixed their drinks, flashing a smug little look toward Obi-Wan.

The comm crackled to life in his ear.  _ “Kenobi, I need you to acknowledge.” _

Obi-Wan startled a little, and was suddenly grateful Vizsla’s back was to him. “Hmm, yes,” he said, answering both Vizsla and Windu.

_ “I’ve encountered Death Watch and require some assistance,”  _ Windu said in his ear.

“Oh, I’m sorry. We’re out of ice,” Vizsla said.

“That’s...unfortunate.”

_ “There’s a tracking device on your comm unit. Follow it due east.” _

“Perhaps we should start dinner without Master Windu,” Vizsla suggested. 

“I’m not sure I can do that,” Obi-Wan said. Satine shot him a look, and he gestured delicately at his ear. Her eyes went wide, before smiling up at Vizsla as he handed her a fresh cocktail.

“Are you alright, Obi-Wan?” the governor asked.

_ “Some time today, Kenobi.” _

“I’m fine, Governor,” he chuckled, making a show of glancing at the commlink on his wrist. “It’s just that our youngest just messaged me  _ insisting  _ I read to her before she goes to sleep.” He stood, preparing to leave the table.

Satine smiled up at him, playing along, then turned to the Governor. “Forgive him, Governor. I’m afraid Lily has her dear father wrapped around her little finger.”

“Oh. Well, of course. Family first,” Vizsla said, smiling and raising his glass.

“ _ Kenobi….” _

“I’ll just be a few minutes.” Obi-Wan bowed slightly and quickly made his way out of the lounge. Outside the Governor’s mansion, he mounted one of the speeder bikes that had been left unattended, and took off, following the tracker.

Obi-Wan found himself, within a few minutes, at the mine they had seen as they had made their descent earlier into Concordia's atmosphere earlier. He moved quickly, with stealth, his old training flowing through him easily. Qui-Gon may have been long gone, but his training had left an indelible mark on Obi-Wan, which was kept sharp by training daily alongside the palace’s Protectors. 

He made his way inside, through massive blast doors, easily bypassed by jamming his lightsaber into the controls. As he crept carefully through the mine’s processing floor, he spotted Mace Windu, caught upside down in a suspension field, moving toward an ore extractor.

“What are you doing, just hanging around when there’s work to do, Master Windu?” Obi-Wan said with a smirk.

The Jedi Master rolled his eyes. “Just get me down.”

Obi-Wan spotted the controls for the machinery on a platform up above the floor of the factory, and made his way swiftly up a ladder to them. The panel was a sea of lights, buttons, and dials, and he hesitated for a moment, pondering which control did what to the machinery grinding away below.

“ _ Quickly,  _ Kenobi,” Windu shouted, anxiety lacing his voice. Obi-Wan glanced up. Windu was rapidly growing closer to some massive crusher of some sort. 

“ _ I’m  _ working on it! Give me a moment.” He studied the panel closer, going for one button, only to hesitate and move to a dial, unsure.

“I only have so many moments left!”

“Ah! Here it is.” Obi-Wan worked the correct controls and the din of clanking, rattling, pounding machinery fell silent, the suspension field holding Windu captive fizzling off, sending him tumbling to the stalled conveyor belt.

Windu climbed down, smoothing out his robes. “Certainly took you long enough,” he grumbled as Obi-Wan leapt agilely down to the factory floor and made his way to him.

“Master Windu, I’m a political advisor, not a miner.” He looked around. “Come on. We should probably get going.” 

They had barely taken a dozen steps towards a lift before two Mandalorians in Death Watch armor appeared.

“Get them!” a modulated voice shouted.

In an instant, a punch was thrown at Obi-Wan’s face. He blocked it with his right hand, and swung an uppercut with his left into the beskar helmet. The impact causes the commando to stumble, and Obi-Wan took advantage of the momentary lapse by hammering a Force powered kick into the armored man’s midsection. The commando went flying, landing in a clatter of beskar and limbs, slumping unconscious against the wall.

Master Windu, breaking free from grappling with his own guard, used a tremendous push with the Force himself, knocking the commando into the same wall. He crumpled in a pile on top of Obi-Wan’s victim. With a look, the two made their way onto the waiting lift.

“I must say, Master Windu, I never would have thought I’d get the chance to fight alongside you,” Obi-Wan said casually, flicking dust off the cuffs of his dark blue tunic. 

Windu, staring straight ahead, huffed a little breath. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if it was a sound of amusement or something else. “And I must say, Obi-Wan, for a  _ political advisor  _ from a pacifist government _ ,  _ you are certainly more than capable of holding your own.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “No use in letting good life skills grow stale just because one is from a peaceful people,” he said as the lift doors slid open.

The sight awaiting them wiped the little smile right off his face and made Obi-Wan’s heart thud to a sudden stop. There in front of him kneeled Satine, hands bound, eyes cast down to the dust beneath her knees. A towering beskar clad Death Watch commando stood behind her, a cape hanging rakishly from his shoulder. Commandos surrounded them, hemming them in against the wall and the lift.

“Satine!” he cried. Her eyes met his, and the fear in them made all the oxygen in his lungs leave his body.

“Kenobi. Master Jedi. Good of you to join us,” the commando said, voice modulated through his helmet. He reached up and pulled it off.

“Vizsla!” It dawned on Obi-Wan then.  _ This  _ was the man that had tried to murder his children. This is the man that had worked to undermine his wife’s government, to the point of putting Mandalore under suspicion in the Senate. This was the man he wanted dead. He would kill this man.

“You son of a bitch,” Obi-Wan growled, hand moving to his lightsaber hilt.

“Obi-Wan…” Satine pleaded, as Windu laid a steadying hand on Obi-Wan’s arm.

Vizsla motioned to someone in the surrounding crowd. A familiar, feminine figure stepped forward, and yanked Satine up by the arm, causing Satine to gasp in pain. The woman made no sign of acknowledgement toward Obi-Wan. Not even a look. She wordlessly led Satine off to the side, forced her down to her knees again, and leveled a blaster to her temple. Obi-Wan fought the urge to vomit at the sight of it.

Two more commandos came up and pulled Master Windu away, shoving him to his knees alongside Satine, while Vizsla stepped toward Obi-Wan in challenge.

“For generations, my ancestors fought proudly against the Jedi. Now that one,” he pointed to Satine, “tarnishes the very name Mandalorian with not only her foolish ideals, but by marrying a Jedi and raising his bastard spawn.” Vizsla dramatically swept his cape off, tossing it to the side. “Defend her if you will.”

Anger made Obi-Wan’s blood pound in his ears, driving him to a singular focus- Vizsla’s demise. He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, igniting it and moving to a ready position.

Vizsla reached behind his shoulder, unsheathing an angular, heavy looking hilt. He ignited it, and a strange, dark, light consuming plasma blade hummed to life, singing differently than any lightsaber Obi-Wan had ever seen. “This lightsaber was stolen from the Jedi temple by my ancestors during the fall of the Old Republic. Since then, many Jedi have died upon its blade.” Vizsla readied himself. “Prepare yourself to join them.”

With no further warning, Vizsla attacked, throwing himself and the dark, angry blade at Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan blocked easily, sending the man away from him as he swung his blade to meet Vizsla’s powerful strike, but he attacked again, just as aggressive. Obi-Wan blocked and parried, his movements quick and efficient to Vizsla’s power and aggression. The man was highly competent, no doubt, but he wielded the blade like any other melee weapon. He lacked finesse, choosing instead to throw himself entirely behind every swing and cut and jab he made. 

The Force rushed through Obi-Wan, more aggressive and hot than he’d ever felt it, commanding his moves. His usual form was defensive, but the months of rage felt towards  _ this  _ man pushed Obi-Wan to the offense, attacking and driving the bigger man back. He made an aggressive feint, then cut sharply across, causing Vizsla to scramble to block. Obi-Wan took advantage of the weakness, and kicked him, connecting with his shoulder, causing him to drop the black bladed lightsaber. 

Vizsla scrambled to retrieve it, but Obi-Wan pushed him through the Force, moving him further away. Vizsla growled with fury, and charged Obi-Wan, unarmed, but still dangerous, Obi-Wan knew. He threw a hook, connecting with Obi-Wan’s jaw, then landed a second blow into Obi-Wan’s solar plexus, knocking the air from his lungs and the lightsaber from his hand. He grunted and swung a wild uppercut into Vizsla’s jaw, landing it so hard he could hear the man’s teeth clack together painfully. He then gathered the Force to him again, and shoved the man away again, harder, flinging him right into the surrounding commandos. Obi-Wan reached out, calling his lightsaber to his hand, preparing for Vizsla’s next move. 

The man scrambled and found the darksaber’s hilt, and, to Obi-Wan’s surprise, ignited his jetpack, propelling himself skyward, before dropping toward Obi-Wan, blade raised menacingly overhead. Obi-Wan propelled himself upward to meet him, and landed a hard kick to the man’s stomach, causing him to turn in the air. Obi-Wan swung his lightsaber hard into Vizsla’s exposed jetpack, causing it to spark and sputter, then die, dropping Vizsla like a rock.

He landed hard on his hands and knees, the darksaber clattering out of his hand once more. Obi-Wan landed lightly in front of, instantly calling the heavier hilt to him. As Vizsla raised up to his knees, Obi-Wan met him, the two sabers crossed under his chin, causing shadows from the crackling blades of light to dance across the man’s hard features.

_ Finish him,  _ a dark part of his mind screamed.  _ Finish the man who threatens your family.  _ Obi-Wan snarled, tensing his muscles to strike the man down. Then stopped. No. This was not who he was. Not how he had been raised. Not who he wanted his children to see him as.

“Yield,” he growled.

Vizsla snarled up at him. “Never. You’ll have to kill me.”

“Despite how badly I would like to, that’s not happening.” He tipped the blades up, causing the man to flinch at the heat licking at his chin. “Yield.”

“True Mandalorians fight to the death, you coward. I will never yield-”

A blaster fired, leaving a hole clean through the side of Vizsla’s head. The man stared up at Obi-Wan, unseeing, for a moment, before he crumpled to the ground, dead. Satine let out a strangled cry. Windu, beside Satine, blinked in surprise.

Obi-Wan turned his head toward the origin of the shot, to see the woman in beskar guarding Satine, holding a primed blaster. She stepped around Satine, toward Obi-Wan.

“If anyone questions Kenobi’s legitimate victory and rightful claim to Mand’alor, speak up now,” she said, waving the blaster around. Someone near Windu made a sound of dissent. She turned and immediately blasted a hole through the man’s helmet.

“Anyone else?” Heads quietly shook no. “No? Good.” She holstered her weapon and pulled off her helmet.

Satine gasped. “Bo-Katan!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, that happened.


	20. Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satine is left reeling, questioning loyalties and her own sanity, after reuniting with her sister in dramatic fashion. 
> 
> Mace Windu did not sign up for any of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! 
> 
> Sooooo, the last chapter was fun! Hope this one is, too!
> 
> Once again, I'm blown away by all your comments, kudos, etc! I am having fun sharing this with you all, and sharing our appreciation of these ridiculous characters that clearly mean a lot to us all.

_ 21 BBY _

Satine felt her shock like a physical blow. As if she had been shot by the blaster her sister had held to her head while Obi-Wan battled with Pre Vizsla. 

“Let them go,” Bo-Katan ordered. Commandos moved to release Master Windu, returning his lightsaber, and undid Satine’s binders. Obi-Wan raced to her, worry etching his face, and helped her to her feet.

“Are you alright, my love?” he asked. Satine ignored him, pushed past him, seeking relief from the assault on her mind. Was she going crazy? Was this really Bo? 

“Bo-Katan?” she said again, stopping in front of the red head. “You're not dead?” She stepped into her sister’s personal space, forcing Bo to confront her. “You’re with Death Watch?”

Bo-Katan turned her brilliant green eyes to Satine’s. “I am very much alive.” She shoved past Satine, barking orders at the remaining Death Watch commandos. Satine followed her. 

“Why did you kill Vizsla?” Suddenly, it came to her, the weight of what had just transpired. “You...wait. Obi-Wan is Mand’alor! What the hell is going on?”

She whirled on Obi-Wan, who stood behind her, looking nervous now. “Has this been your game, Obi-Wan? Conspiring against me? Your own wife! Thinking you could usurp me by winning command over Death Watch with an archaic title?”

Obi-Wan’s face passed from nervous to perplexed. “What? Satine, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No…no it all makes sense. All those  _ close calls _ . Your secret contact with Death Watch.” Tears of betrayal stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Of course. I’ve been so foolish.”

Bo-Katan stopped in her tracks, this time it’s her turn to look confused. “What are you on about, you fool?”

“You two have clearly been conspiring against me! For how long? How long has this been happening under my roof?”

Bo-Katan laughed. Hard, belly shaking laughs. Cruel, humorless laughs. She leaned over, resting her hands on her knees. Obi-Wan gently touched Satine’s arm from behind, but she yanked away from his touch. 

“Why is this so funny?”

Bo-Katan straightened, swiping tears off her cheeks. “Gods, Satine, you really are a  _ dikuut _ , aren’t you? We haven’t been  _ conspiring _ against you. I am his contact-“ From behind, someone growls a comment about her being a traitor. Without missing a beat, hardly taking the time to aim, Bo shot him dead. Satine, so desensitized at this point, didn’t even flinch. “But only in that I was trying to keep your karking kids alive.”

Satine looked from her sister to her husband, then back again. “I...I don’t understand what is happening.” Her legs felt rubbery. Obi-Wan, attuned to her distress, took her arm and led her to a nearby crate to sit. “Someone. Please. What the hell is happening?”

Obi-Wan looked at Bo, who shrugged. “Satine, Bo-Katan contacted me shortly after the war began. She is the one who has informed us about everything. Except for today’s incident.” He flashed a hard look to Bo.

Bo-Katan shrugged. “I didn’t know about today.” Obi-Wan shook his head.

Satine sat in silence for a moment, digesting this information. “Wait." She leveled her eyes onto Obi-Wan, eyes narrowed. "You’ve known my sister was alive for over a  _ year?  _ And you didn’t  _ tell me?” _

Obi-Wan started to speak, but Satine, feeling wildly unbalanced and possibly completely unhinged after the events of the last hour or so, silenced him by swiftly standing and crashing her fist into his jaw with a solid right hook.

Bo cackled. “Well, it’s good to see that at least some of your Mandalorian blood is still pumping through you, Satine,” the red head said, as Satine shook the sting out of her hand. It has been a  _ very  _ long time since she’d done that bare knuckled and outside a workout with a Protector.

Obi-Wan rubbed his jaw. “While that was unexpected, I won’t say it wasn’t completely deserved, my dear.”

Master Windu, all but forgotten, cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt this  _ happy  _ reunion, but could someone explain what the hell is going on?”

Satine sat heavily back down on the crate, suddenly exhausted. She waved to Obi-Wan to explain. He, in turn, looked to Bo-Katan. She sighed heavily.

“ _ Jetii,  _ I am Bo-Katan, of House Kryze, Clan Kryze. I am the duchess’ sister. I have been a lieutenant with Death Watch for several years. I have been feeding Kenobi information regarding attempts made by Death Watch on his and Satine’s childrens’ lives.”

“But why?” Satine asked. “You hate me. Clearly.”

“I don’t hate you, Satine,” Bo said with a frustrated sigh, turning to face Satine. “I don’t agree with you or your ideals. But I  _ don’t _ hate you. I  _ did  _ hate Vizsla’s desire to kill your children. They are Mando’ade, no matter how foolish and idealistic their parents.” She gestured to the other Death Watch commandos. “I’m not alone in that, either.” Here and there, Satine saw small, quick nods of helmets, affirming what Bo-Katan said.

“And now Obi-Wan is Mand’alor,” Satine said simply.

“ _ That,”  _ Bo said, “was not intentional. I was not expecting  _ any _ of this to happen tonight.” Everyone looked at her, confused. “What? He bested Vizsla in single combat. He  _ earned  _ the right to the darksaber and the title. This is still Mandalore, right? When I realized he wouldn’t kill the man, I just pushed matters along.”

“Can someone  _ please  _ explain what the hell you fucking Mandalorians are talking about?” Windu said, pushing his way into the huddle they had formed.

“Kenobi possesses the darksaber. Kenobi is the rightful ruler of Mandalore, or, at the very least, Death Watch,” Bo-Katan explained, as if it was the most simple thing in the galaxy.

“But I don’t  _ want _ to rule Mandalore  _ or  _ Death Watch,’” Obi-Wan said, sitting down next to Satine, weariness radiating off of him.

“That’s not how it works. The darksaber is yours. It can only be taken from you by single combat.” Bo-Katan gestured at the commandos milling around, clearly unsure of what to make of the sudden change in their political landscape. Satine, possibly for the first time ever, could empathize with them. “None of them are willing to challenge you. I’m not willing to challenge you. We are yours to command, Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan looked to Satine, as if hoping she held some bit of wisdom to help him sort this out. She did not. She was at a loss. She felt as if everything she had known for the last sixteen, almost seventeen years had been undone. She shook her head. She was exhausted. She just wanted to go home.

Obi-Wan sighed. “Lady Kryze, this is all a bit much to process, I must say. We came here to bring home a body, and,” he gestured at Master Windu, “do some investigating. I don’t think any of us thought our lives would be in peril, let alone fighting to the death for a title I, for one, did not want.” He looked around at the Death Watch troops that milled about. “Is there anyone here you can trust to leave in command? Perhaps you can return to Sundari with us and we can discuss this after a meal and some rest?”

Satine swallowed thickly, a nervous shudder running through her. Obi-Wan turned to her. “Is that all right?” he asked. She had a say in this? Did she have any control over anything anymore? 

The thought of having her violent sister on Mandalore, not to mention in the same building as two of her children soured her stomach. But Obi-Wan  _ must  _ sense something. Feel some cosmic pull with all his extraordinary senses if he was suggesting such a thing. 

She sighed, resigning herself to trust her husband’s instincts. “Fine. Yes. But she is to remain under guard while on Mandalore.”

“Of course,” he agreed. He turned to Bo. “Lady Kryze?”

Bo stood there, arms crossed, a hip cocked out, and stared at them for a long moment. Satine hadn’t seen her sister in almost eighteen years. They had been close, once, as children and early in their teen years. But now, despite looking at a face she knew so well, better than her own in ways, she felt like she was looking at a total stranger. She suddenly longed for her childhood, when they were wild and reckless, much like her Lily now, but could also read each other instantly, no words needed. What was  _ this  _ Bo thinking? She wanted to know  _ this  _ Bo.

After a long moment of contemplation, Bo gave a quick, sharp nod. “Fine. Wren!” Another tall, beskar clad feminine frame stepped out of the crowd of Death Watch commandos, walking up to Bo. 

She and Bo-Katan exchanged a few words before the one called Wren turned back toward the crowd. “Let’s move!” With that, the remaining Death Watch gathered the bodies of the men Bo-Katan had killed, including their former leader, and moved off.

Bo-Katan turned silently toward the lift that had deposited Obi-Wan and Master Windu at Vizsla’s feet what now seemed like days ago. As they stepped inside, Windu turned to Obi-Wan.

“I would still really like to understand what’s going on here.”

Obi-Wan, poking tenderly at his rapidly bruising face- Satine thought maybe she should feel some remorse for adding to his bruises, but couldn’t muster the energy for that- chuckled humorlessly. “Wouldn’t we all, Master. Wouldn’t we all.”

* * *

  
  


The return trip to Sundari was silent and tense.

Their arrival, greeted by Protectors, led by a harried looking Tol’ket, was worse.

As soon as the man, almost more loyal to Obi-Wan than he was to Satine herself, saw Bo-Katan step off the shuttle beside Satine, he leveled his blaster at the woman. The rest of the detail following suit. 

Bo scoffed and defiantly rested a hand on one of her own blasters, daring Tol'ket to shoot her.“ _ Ne shab’rud’ni,”  _ she growled.

“ _ Dar’manda….”  _ Tol’ket spat back.

Satine laid a hand on her sister’s arm. “ _ Udesii.  _ Both of you,” she said, tone frustrated and tired, giving Tol’ket a hard look.

Obi-Wan, looking as tired as Satine felt, made a scolding noise at his dedicated captain. “Tol’ket, stand down. Lady Kryze is our guest.”

Tol’ket hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting over Obi-Wan, then settling on the angular hilt of the darksaber in Obi-Wan’s hand. “Is that...the darksaber?” He moved slowly, eyes briefly darting back to Bo, but he holstered his weapon, and motioned for the others to do the same.

Obi-Wan lifted the darksaber to examine it. “Apparently, yes.”

“Mand’alor!” Tol’ket exclaimed, bowing and saluting.

“Oh no. Absolutely not. The duchess is still your ruler, Tol’ket,” Obi-Wan said, brushing past the man toward the speeders that awaited them. “But do take Lady Kryze’s weapons.”

Bo rolled her eyes but handed over her blasters and gauntlets. “This is ridiculous. If I wanted to kill any of you, you’d all be rotting back on Concordia.”

“Humor him, Bo,” Satine said gently. “He takes the children’s safety seriously.”

“I  _ know  _ that, Satine. Why do you think I’ve been sharing information with him?” Bo said over her shoulder as she hopped lightly onto the speeder, leaning back against the rail. Obi-Wan, who was waiting for Satine, helped her step up into it. Windu stepped in beside Obi-Wan.

They rode the short distance in silence. It was clear to Satine everyone was deep in their own thoughts. Obi-Wan, especially, seemed particularly troubled and tense. While she could throttle him for keeping her sister from her for over a year, she was feeling regret for the terrible, dark track her mind had careened down initially. Obi-Wan was kind and strived to be unassuming. He failed miserably at the second part, considering his devastatingly good looks and boundless charm, but he still tried to keep his work in the background. He had always offered advice instead of directives, to not only her, but her cabinet and even her Prime Minister and Senator. Of course he didn’t want to rule. He wanted to help. That’s all he had ever wanted to do, as long as she had known him. His kindness and desire to be a helper was what drew her to him. 

He glanced up at her just then, as the speeder moved into the breezeway of the palace, as if he knew her thoughts. She smiled at him. He smiled back. It was evident that he was exhausted and frustrated, but the smile was genuine.

As they stepped off the speeder, Obi-Wan offered his arm, and, when she took it, he squeezed the hand wrapped in the crook of his elbow with his hand. She felt a gentle wash of comfort and love flow through her. Even with everything weighing on him suddenly, he was still comforting  _ her. _

Bo-Katan and Windu followed them into the palace, where they were met by Kayla, who looked as if she had been roused from her bed. As Kayla greeted them, her eyes roamed over Bo. Her only reaction, bless her, was a quick raise of her eyebrows, before turning her eyes back to Satine.

“Your grace, how can I help you and your guests?”

“Kayla, dear, you didn’t need to be pulled out of bed for us. I’m so sorry,” Satine said, squeezing the woman’s hand.

“I serve at your pleasure, your grace. I’m up and awake now. Nothing some caf can’t help.” She smiled teasingly. “What do you need?”

Satine sighed. “Very well. Master Windu has quarters already, but can you see that my sister has quarters readied for her?” This caused a bigger reaction from the woman this time, startling at the idea that her duchess’ sister was dressed in Death Watch armor. But, again, she quickly replaced her mask of calm. “And if you can see about getting us a light supper laid out, I think we’re probably all hungrier than we realize. Have it set in the lounge. No point in playing at formality at this late hour. We’ve been through too much this evening.” Kayla started to turn to leave, and Obi-Wan tugged gently on Satine’s arm to lead her toward the lounge, when Satine remembered. “Oh, one more thing! Can you get a medical droid for Obi-Wan?” Kayla looked at Obi-Wan with concern.

“I’m fine, Kayla, I don’t need a medical droid,” Obi-Wan protested as he led her and their guests down the hall. 

“Get him a medical droid, Kayla.” The woman smirked and nodded, shooting off in the darkened halls of the palace. 

They moved off into the family’s lounge, Satine noting Bo taking in everything, studying particularly the formal family portraits. While Satine, Obi-Wan, and Master Windu seated themselves around the room, Bo stalked around, looking at everything- a pile of datapads and flimsis Korkie or Lily had left out on a table, a half finished star ship model tucked away on a shelf, holos of the children in candid moments throughout their childhoods, more recent, formal and candid holos from Anakin and Padme’s wedding. Older holos, too, of Obi-Wan and Satine, very young, with Qui-Gon, everyone clearly pretending to either not be in love or ignoring the fact that his young padawan and his charge were in love. Bo stopped at the oldest holo on a shelf, next to an old bound book about Mandalorian clan history. Satine knew exactly which one it was. It was one of Satine’s most precious possessions, one of the few House Kryze items that survived the bloody civil war- a picture of Satine and Bo and their parents. Satine had grabbed it when she had fled with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Bo stared at it for a long time, her face, in profile from Satine’s vantage point, unreadable.

Obi-Wan broke Bo-Katan’s reverie when he cleared his throat. “Master Windu, I realize you didn’t come to Mandalore to mediate, but seeing as you are here, maybe your experience as a counselor could come in handy as we sort all this business out.”

Windu settled back into his chair, getting comfortable. “Yes, good. Let’s sort this  _ business _ out. Because the Senate will be expecting to hear from Mandalore about this.”

Satine stiffened. Yes, of course the Senate would want to meddle with this wholly Mandalorian issue. She steeled herself for the long night ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head canon: Satine takes out her frustrations after cabinet meetings by beating the ever loving shit out of some poor hapless Protector in the boxing ring. It's not VIOLENCE. It's EXERCISE. That's how she skips around that little detail. 
> 
> ETA: Forgot the Mando'a translation of Bo-Katan and Tol'ket's smack talk.  
> "Ne shab'rud'ni." Don't mess with me, an extremely strong warning likely to lead to violence (of course Bo would say that).  
> "Dar'manda." Not Mandalorian, as in someone who has lost her heritage, thus her identity and soul (pretty powerful fighting words to say to someone who thinks SHE is a true Mandalorian).  
> "Udesii." Calm down (because Satine is down with all of your nonsense).
> 
> This is a big arc, peeps, so bare with. I think it's all pretty good and intense and will be worth it. It wore me out, though, and I'm a bit behind in my writing....but I think I finally found my rhythm again last night (and I forced myself to actually WRITE out the plan for the rest of it).
> 
> Thanks, as always, for being amazing.


	21. Tihaar and Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long night grows longer as Clan Kryze struggle to find common ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! 
> 
> Not necessarily fluff, but a small breath of fresh air for a few moments before diving back into the drama. You all should appreciate it.
> 
> My gratitude for your ongoing enthusiasm knows no bounds. Sending me some happy thoughts as I continue to beat the story back into submission once we get past this arc. I'm way behind where I like to be in my writing because everyone is being uncooperative.

_ 21 BBY  _

Bo-Katan had finally settled into a chair when Kayla came in quietly, pushing a small hover cart ladened with a tea service and a variety of sandwiches, cakes, and fruit, as Satine had asked. A medical droid trundled in behind her, making a beeline for Obi-Wan. He went to shoo the droid away, but caught Satine’s eye, and resigned himself to the droid’s ministrations. He  _ did  _ feel as if he’d been trod upon by a herd of bantha, if he was being honest.

Satine began preparing cups of tea for herself and Obi-Wan, and motioned to Bo and Windu to help themselves. Bo studied the spread for a long moment. “Do you have anything stronger than tea?”

Satine sighed and gave Bo a look. A look, Obi-Wan mused, quite similar to the look Korkie often gave Lily when she was asking for something ridiculous. But, Satine stood and moved toward a glass cabinet and pulled out a bottle of  _ tihaar,  _ along with four shot glasses. She moved back to the low table, sat a glass down in front of each person, and poured. Windu went to decline, but Obi-Wan shook his head.

“Drink up, Master. It’s poor manners to decline  _ tihaar  _ during negotiations,” he said. Bo snorted. Windu rolled his eyes, but reached for his glass.

“ _ K’oyacyi! _ ” Obi-Wan said, lifting his glass.

“ _ Cin vhetin _ ,” Satine said in response, her eyes tired, but looking strangely hopeful.

Bo-Katan studied her sister for a long moment, glass in hand, before raising it. “ _ Cin vhetin _ .” 

Everyone drank their portion in a gulp. Bo and Satine didn’t even make a face. Obi-Wan grimaced, though he had drunk enough  _ tihaar  _ at this point in his life to be used to its potency. Windu fought back a gag reflex and shuddered, causing Bo and Satine both to smirk. Satine filled all their glasses again, then sat back down on the sofa next to Obi-Wan. The med droid, satisfied with its poking and prodding of Obi-Wan’s battered face and body, moved to a corner and powered down while the bacta infusion did its work.

Windu leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted as Lily dramatically flung herself into the room, hair mussed from sleep, pajamas askew.

She paid no mind to the strangers in the room, only flung herself violently into her father’s lap, sending a bolt of pain through Obi-Wan. The bacta clearly had yet to kick in. 

“Where have you been?” the girl scolded into his chest. He gently rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. They  _ had _ left before she and Korkie had returned for the day from the academy, and it was now well into the middle of the night. He could feel the waves of anxiety washing off her willowy frame.

Satine, who must have caught Obi-Wan’s pained expression, gently pried Lily off of him, pulling her into her lap, instead. Lily may have been wild and unruly, but she was also terribly tactile and demonstrative when it came to affection. She instantly wrapped her arms around her mother’s ribs, resting her head against Satine’s chest. “You were gone for so long,” she muttered groggily.

Satine pet Lily’s wild hair, and leaned back into the cushions of the sofa. “We’re sorry, ad’ika. Our trip to Concordia took much longer than we anticipated and we couldn’t get word out until long after you should have been asleep. Why  _ aren’t  _ you asleep, my little love?”

“I felt you come home,” Lily said simply, holding her hand out toward Obi-Wan. He reached for it, obligingly, and squeezed it.

“ _ Jetii,”  _ Bo muttered softly into her glass of  _ tihaar. _

Lily sat up and whipped around to look at Bo. Obi-Wan suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, and he wasn’t sure if it was his or Satine’s. The children knew their mother had a sister who was presumed lost after the civil war. But how do they tell their youngest child that this was her long lost aunt, and also a member of the group who had made several attempts on her young life?

Lily solved it for them. “Who are you?” she asked simply, too sleepy to fall back on any proper etiquette she possessed.

“I’m your  _ ba’vodu _ . I’m Bo-Katan,” Bo answered just as simply.

“I thought you were dead.”

“Lily Bo!” Satine scolded.

Bo, raising her eyebrows, waved Satine’s scold away. “I’m very much alive, Lily  _ Bo.”  _ She put extra emphasis on the “Bo” and gave Satine a look that Obi-Wan could see held a great deal of meaning. “And I’ve been working very hard to keep you and your brothers safe for quite awhile.”

Lily studied the woman for a long moment before nodding her head, accepting it all at face value. Bo wasn’t really lying. She  _ had  _ been working to keep them safe, from a certain point of view. “Nice to meet you, then.” Simple as that for Lily. So trusting.  _ Oh, to be a child,  _ Obi-Wan mused.

Bo, chuckled, and gave the girl an uncharacteristic soft smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Lily.”

Lily, now realizing there was additional company, turned to face Master Windu. “I remember you. From Ani and Padme’s wedding.”

Obi-Wan snorted a laugh. “Lily, I’m surprised you remember anything from the wedding, considering the amount of sugar you were allowed to consume.”

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head, suddenly looking very teenage-like. Windu gave her a small half smile. “Yes, young one. I was at your brother’s wedding. I’ve known your father since he was a small boy, actually.”

“Oh, well, I have  _ a lot  _ of questions, then.”

“Perhaps another time, Lily. You should go back to bed,” Satine said, making an attempt to move Lily back toward her bedroom.

Lily tightened her hold on her mother. “No! Please, Mum, let me stay here. I was so worried when I didn’t see you after we heard about the bomb!” She looked pleadingly between her parents.

Satine pulled Lily against her again and looked questioningly at Obi-Wan. “She’s fine,” he said with a shrug. “Let her stay. Whatever we discuss will end up being family business, anyway.”

“Alright. But Lily, I want you to lay down and try to sleep, ok?” Satine said quietly, shifting Lily to rest between her and Obi-Wan. Lily nodded and started to tip herself down to rest her head on Obi-Wan’s lap, but Satine caught her. “Actually, love, Buir is going to have the medical droid bothering him again shortly. Rest your head in my lap.”

Lily’s eyes went big. “Why does Buir need a med droid?” Satine gently tugged her down and pulled the throw off the back of the sofa, covering Lily. 

“He had a bit of an accident. He’s fine. Just some bumps and bruises.”

Obi-Wan did not miss his daughter’s skeptical face. Lily thought her father was invincible. Her buir did not have common accidents. But she obliged her mother, stretching out between her parents, resting her feet in Obi-Wan’s lap. He pulled the throw over them, tucking it snugly around her, and then gently rubbed her feet. “Close your eyes, Lily,” he said softly. She did as she was told, though he could still feel her mind running wild with anxiety and questions. This would be as good as it gets for now.

“Can’t you, you know…” Windu asked quietly, making a little gesture with his hand. Obi-Wan caught his meaning and laughed.

“Unfortunately, sleep suggestions no longer work. Lily is very much a Kryze woman and won’t be fooled by simple mind tricks.”

“ _ Ke barjurir gar’ade, jagyc’ade a dalyc’ade kotla’shya,”  _ Bo said with a chuckle.

Satine laughed in surprise, then reached for her glass of  _ tihaar  _ and raised it. “Oya!”

“Oya!” Bo replied with a surprisingly girlish giggle, and they both tipped back their glasses.

Windu looked to Obi-Wan for a translation. He smiled. “It means ‘train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger.’”

“Oh, hells, Obi-Wan,” Windu said, reaching for his own glass of  _ tihaar.  _ “May the Force be with you, then.” He raised his glass to Obi-Wan, and, laughing, Obi-Wan reached for his and tipped it back along with the Jedi Master. 

* * *

  
  


It was a long, hard night.

Despite the brief flare of sisterly camaraderie, Satine and Bo-Katan, entirely too similar to make things at all easy, butted heads fiercely over  _ what  _ exactly Obi-Wan’s sudden possession of the darksaber meant. 

In fact, most times, he felt as if his opinion on the matter held no bearing in the negotiations at all. Which, he thought, made his point perfectly. He did not  _ want  _ to lead. He did not  _ want  _ to rule. He did not  _ want  _ the karking heavy, ancient saber. His role was, and always had been, as an advisor.

But, the Kryze women, much like the youngest one, sleeping surprisingly soundly with her head in her mother’s lap, proved that the best method to get anywhere with them was to let them wear themselves down.

Bo-Katan, a battle hardened warrior, was a stark contrast to her sister, who had years of practice in maintaining a calm, calculated stillness. Bo paced and fretted, her wild, kinetic energy not allowing her to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. When voices were raised too much, Satine would quietly cover Lily’s ears, to muffle the sharp tones. The gesture would quiet all parties back down.

The bottle of _tihaar_ slowly emptied then was replaced with caf as the long night dragged on. It was not something Obi-Wan or Satine ever drank with any willingness, but, as Obi-Wan heaped sugar and milk into his to combat the bitter taste, he noted that Satine and Bo both drank theirs black. He shook his head, amused at their similarity.

Finally, after one particularly prolonged angrily whispered battle, Windu stood and raised his hands. 

“Enough!” he commanded firmly.

Both women snapped their mouths shut and stared at him.

“Bo-Katan, what is it, in one sentence, that you want out of all this?” he asked.

Bo started to open her mouth, but then shut it. She sat back in her chair and actually thought about the question. Satine started to say something, but Windu held a finger up to her to silence her. Satine huffed, sat back, and absently curled a tendril of Lily’s hair around a delicate finger.

Bo finally stood and paced, moving to the window that overlooked a garden. The sky outside the dome was ever so slowly beginning to lighten. 

“I want Death Watch to play a legitimate role in the protection of Mandalore,” she finally said, hands clasped behind her back.

“Bo, you can’t go waging war-”

“Hush, Duchess,” Windu scolded. Satine glared at him, but held her tongue. Obi-Wan chuckled at the unusual turn of events. It was a rare occasion for someone to actually tell Satine what to do, and actually have her listen and not verbally snap them in two. 

“Obi-Wan, what do you want, in one sentence?” Windu asked.

“I’d like to go to bed,” he said with a shrug.

“ _ Kenobi,”  _ Windu growled.

“Right, yes. Of course. My desires are the same as they have always been- to continue to advise and counsel Mandalore’s leadership to help it continue to thrive in peace and prosperity.”

Bo scoffed. Windu flashed her a look.

“Duchess, and what, in one sentence, do you want?” he asked.

Satine sat quietly for a long time, watching Lily sleep as she combed her fingers through her hair. 

Finally, without looking up, she spoke. “I want all Mando’ade to know they are safe and cared for and important, including my family…” She turned her eyes to Bo-Katan. “Including my sister.”

Bo seemed to freeze in place. Even her breathing stopped. She just looked back at Satine. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. No malice. No anger. Just a sudden flare of understanding of each other. Obi-Wan could feel a strange new crackle in the Force, seeming to bind them together. Despite his exhaustion, it sent a sudden thrill down his spine.

Master Windu seemed to sense it, too. The Jedi nodded his head, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled ever so slightly.

“Good. We can work with all of this.”

To Obi-Wan’s amazement, they did. 

Obi-Wan had always prided himself on his ability to negotiate with people; even difficult, stubborn people, which had aided him well in his long tenure on Mandalore. But Mace Windu’s ability to wrangle the two Kryze women into an agreeable solution that suited not only them and Obi-Wan, but could also be acceptable to Mandalore as a whole, was like watching performance art at its finest.

By the time the sun was rising and the house staff was stirring, the framework had been built. Satine would remain the ruling head of state for Manadlore. She would move to legitimize what was left of Death Watch as the Mandalorian defensive force. As Mand’alor, Obi-Wan would command Death Watch, though, Bo-Katan would act as his proxy, as well as step into the now vacant seat of governor of Concordia.

The issue of the terror attacks Death Watch committed would be handled by stating that those who committed them- namely Vizsla and a few others- had been killed by Obi-Wan and Bo-Katan in defense of the Duchess. True, from a certain point of view. Bo assured them that those that were left were loyal to Mandalore first, and to whoever possessed the darksaber. If she found that not to be true, she'd take care of it. No one pressed for details on what that meant.

It wasn’t perfect, but, as Master Windu pointed out, no government was. No one got everything they wanted- Bo-Katan would have preferred a complete return to their warrior culture. Obi-Wan wanted no leadership role. And Satine would have preferred to continue on without any sort of military force. But, Bo had pointed out to her, the family had the Protectors, the citizens had the police and secret service. Why shouldn’t the planet, the people as a whole, have defenders? It wasn't unheard of for a pacifist world to have a defensive force. Even Naboo and Alderaan did.

The details would need to be sorted, treaties would need to be signed, but, after a long harrowing night, sisters had been reunited with a common goal- to keep Mandalore safe.

When Korkie came down for breakfast, he was met by his blurry eyed parents drinking copious amounts of caf, his long lost aunt dressed in Death Watch armor, a little sister who seemed shockingly well rested considering she slept through heated debates, and a Jedi Master who was ready to be  _ done  _ with Mandalore as a whole, and Clan Kryze, in particular. It was an interesting breakfast, to be sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be underwhelmed by Lily's reaction. She's half asleep here and single minded in her pursuit of manipulating her parents through liberal applications of guilt. There will be more, I PROMISE, even though no spoilers.
> 
> Some Mando'a translations and head canons:  
> -Context clues should make it obvious that tihaar is a potent alcoholic beverage, from fermented fruit, according to my sources. The tequila of Mandalore, essentially. I totally made the thing up about it being rude to not drink it when negotiating. Obi-Wan may have, too, just to see Windu's reaction. This was inspired in a way by Bralatine's story "The Fragility of Noble Flaws" (it's in my bookmarks. A great read if you haven't read it!). Though very different circumstances, I feel like tihaar is probably what Mandos will always turn to in emotionally fraught moments.  
> -"Cin vhetin" means a fresh start or clean slate. The literal translation is "white field." I like the idea of Satine using it as a toast with her sister, and Bo feeling the gravity of what Satine means.   
> \- "Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya" Obi-Wan translated this for us, but I am SO GLAD I finally found an appropriate place for it in this story. It is so fitting for Lily, and I like that Bo is the one who says, especially in regards to Lily's resistance to mind tricks.   
> -"K'oyacyi" and "oya" are both variations of "cheers!" or "hoorah!"
> 
> Poor, poor Mace Windu. 
> 
> Send me positive, creative thoughts, y'all. I'm wrestling with this beast a bit! I know WHERE we're going, but sometimes the HOW we're getting there alludes me.


	22. Truces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long night leads into a long day, which leads to an unwelcomed trip to Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I said this as I started this particular arc, but OMG it is hard to rewrite a really great story! This, though, makes me particularly happy. I hope you all enjoy it, too.

_ 21 BBY _

Korkie followed Obi-Wan from the breakfast table into his father’s office.

“What the hell, Dad?”

Obi-Wan, exhausted, deposited the heavy hilt of the darksaber on his desk, and sat down behind it with a groan. “I’m sorry?”

“What. The. Hell,” Korkie said, pointing toward the general direction of the aunt he had never laid eyes on before that morning. “I get home from school yesterday and Kayla says you and Mum went to Concordia after the bombing. Next thing I know, I’m having breakfast with a woman presumed dead, dressed in Death Watch armor.” The boy sat down across from his father, slouching in the chair. “So, again I ask, what the hell?” His eyes landed on the hilt of the darksaber. “What is  _ that?” _

Obi-Wan sighed. “Korkie, it has been a painfully long night. And day. With what looks like another long day ahead. And this monstrosity,” he picked it up and studied it, “is part of it.”

He stood and moved into the middle of the room and ignited the strange blade. Like last night (was that really just last night?), the blade hummed differently than any other lightsaber he had ever seen. The black plasma, laced with incandescent threads of white, seemed to consume light. He could sense the ancient kyber crystal deep within the hilt. It seemed almost pleased, as if it was happy to be held by someone who could  _ hear  _ it for the first time in generations.

He gave the blade a couple of cursory swipes, nothing serious. Just getting a feel for the heft and weight of it. Korkie had sat up straight in his seat, his eyes large. “Dad,  _ what _ is that _?”  _ he repeated.

“It’s the darksaber, Korkie. I don’t know much about it, but I do vaguely recall reading about it in the temple as a child.” He moved through a simple kata with it, ignoring his tired body’s protests. “It was the lightsaber built by the first Mandalorian Jedi.”

Korkie stood and approached, eyes fixed on the unusual blade. Obi-Wan disengaged it, and handed it to his son. Korkie took it and ignited it. “Stars, it’s heavy.” He swung it gently, testing it, like his father. “What does it have to do with last night?”

Obi-Wan moved back to his desk and sat down again with a heavy sigh. “Pre Vizsla had it. I fought him and bested him and now it’s mine.” 

Korkie disengaged the blade, faced his father in shock. “You  _ killed _ Governor Vizsla?”

“I didn’t kill him. Bo-Katan killed him. I merely bested him. He was also the leader of Death Watch and responsible for all the bombings and attacks against us.” Korkie stared at him, clearly at a loss for a response. “Like I said, son, it’s been a long night.”

Obi-Wan scrubbed his hands across his face, willing the fatigue away. There would be little time to rest today, he knew. There would be many, long, angry, heated meetings. And then they would board the  _ Coronet  _ and head to Coruscant, once again to get questioned and harassed by the Senate.

Korkie moved back to the desk, laying the darksaber back in front of Obi-Wan. He sat down again, straighter this time. “Why is Bo-Katan here?”

“Bo-Katan has been keeping you and Lily and Anakin safe for the last year by warning Tol’ket and I about impending attacks. She’s here because we have a lot of details to sort out to move forward in peace.”

“You’ve known for a  _ year  _ that Mum’s sister was alive, and didn’t tell her?” Korkie gave a humorless little chuckle. “How well did that go over with Mum?”

Obi-Wan smirked and pointed to the fading bruise on his jaw. “Let’s just say even your mother has a limit to her stance on non-violence, and, last night, I found that limit.”

Korkie laughed in surprise and started to ask another question when Tol’ket burst in. 

“Beg pardon, sir, but what the hell?” he bellowed. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the back of his chair. “Is this now the official greeting of the palace?” he asked.

“You’re making deals with that bitch? That  _ aruetii?  _ Have you lost your mind?” It was then he noticed Korkie. The man’s face screwed up in embarrassment, and he sighed heavily. “Apologies, sir.”

Obi-Wan waved off the apology. “I quite possibly  _ have _ lost my mind, Tol’ket, you’re justified in asking. But Bo-Katan _ is _ the duchess’ sister. She killed the  _ real  _ traitor, Pre Vizsla, and seems to have single handedly rallied the remains of Death Watch to be, if not loyal to Satine, at least to be loyal to me.” 

Tol’ket’s features seemed to not be able to settle between outrage and chastened. Obi-Wan didn’t blame him in the least. The man had worked himself to the bone for Obi-Wan’s family for years- training and preparing his Protectors for Sith Lords and Death Watch and general threats of all kinds. Of course working with a woman dressed in Death Watch armor would be a bitter pill to swallow.

Obi-Wan stood and moved around the desk. “Tol’ket,” he said, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, “your caution and care regarding, well, everything, are highly valued. But we’ll be alright. I will let you know when I’m ready to pull you into talks with Lady Kryze.” He squeezed the man’s shoulder. “We trust each other, right?”

“Indeed, sir.”

“Good. So, trust me now.” Obi-Wan dropped his arm away and glanced at his chrono. “I’m going to take fifteen minutes to try to make myself presentable for the oncoming storm of cabinet and clan meetings.” He turned to Korkie. “Shouldn’t you be heading to the academy?”

Korkie smirked. “Mum said we could stay here today.”

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course she did.” He walked toward the door of his office, leaving his son and his most trusted captain to fend for themselves. “If you’re not going to school, then you’re in charge of keeping Lily out from under foot.”

He heard the sound of indignation and Tol’ket’s bark of a laugh, but didn’t stay around to hear the protests.

* * *

  
  


The day had been long and full of anger and bitter words and, eventually, tentative truces and glimmers of understanding. Satine had never been quite so proud of the people who helped govern Mandalore, of her husband and his patient mediation and advice, and even of Bo-Katan. 

She was elated and exhausted when she had boarded the  _ Coronet _ late in the afternoon with Obi-Wan, Bo-Katan, several members of the Council of Neutral Systems, including Senator Merrik, Master Windu, and Master Plo Koon, who had arrived with a small contingent of clone troopers as escorts, at the behest of Windu. Tol’ket had been momentarily enraged at the intrusion of the troopers onto  _ his  _ territory, but Satine had soothed his pride with promises of his word being the final say. Not the clones or the Jedi. Happy with that knowledge, he had returned to glowering at her sister, who Satine had insisted be given her weapons back.

Despite the jumpy feeling in her muscles from the massive quantities of strong, black caf she had drank throughout the day, the cocktail hour had been mostly pleasant and uneventful, and Satine counted the minutes until dinner, and then on to the time she could graciously excuse herself for the evening and retire to her state room and finally sleep. 

Everything seemed to have been going remarkably well, until, suddenly, it wasn’t.

The night erupted into chaos, and now, here she was with yet another gun pointed to her temple, being dragged away from Obi-Wan, away from Bo, and into the bridge by Tal Merrik, a  _ traitor.  _

He held her tight, a forearm clamped around her neck, while she watched in horror as he murdered the flight crew.

“You’re a monster! A horrid monster.” She had  _ trusted  _ this man. Not only with her people and their representation in the Senate, but with her  _ son.  _ With his education and career.

“Get used to it,” he sneered, as he dropped the ship out of hyperspace. He punched in a code for the holoprojector and within moments a tall, stately, bearded man, a man Satine had only seen holos of, blinked to life. Count Dooku.

“Senator?” Dooku said, a hint of confusion in his voice.

“Apologies, Count Dooku,” Merrik said in greeting. “There have been some...upheavals with Death Watch command. You’ll be dealing directly with  _ me  _ instead of the governor from now on.”

The count narrowed his eyes. “Very well. Have you completed your mission then?”

“Yes, sir. I have the Duchess, but I’ll be needing reinforcements,” Merrik said, tightening his hold on Satine, causing her to struggle for air. 

“Very well. Help is on the way.” Dooku’s lip quirked up ever so slightly in a smug little smirk before cutting off the transmission. Merrik hauled Satine out of the bridge and down the corridor. 

“ _ You’re  _ with Death Watch?” she asked, indignant. “And Death Watch is working with the Separatists?”

“I  _ was  _ with Death Watch, and we  _ were  _ working with the Separatists until your damn sister’s little stunt last night,  _ milady _ ,” Merrik explained, derision thick in his voice. “I should have known she’d be as much trouble as you. I’ve been scrambling all day to keep this deal from falling apart thanks to her shooting Vizsla. “

The  _ Coronet  _ shuddered with an impact, and Merrik tightened his grip on Satine once again, pushing her along. “That’ll be our ride.”

“You’ll never get away with this, Merrik,” she hissed.

“Oh, I think I will.”

The emergency clarions howled, and Satine could make out the sound of running feet, blasters firing lightsabers clashing into metal, and yelling. So much yelling. She wanted to scream for Obi-Wan. For Tol’ket. Hell, even for Windu, but she knew it would be no use.

“Stand down, Merrik!” A modulated voice came out of nowhere. Merrik whipped around, bringing them both face to face with Bo-Katan, blasters leveled on Merrik’s head.

“That won’t be happening.” He ignored Bo and pulled Satine along, activating the commlink on his wrist as he walked backwards. “Standby to disengage,” he said into the comm.

Bo followed him, never wavering with her blasters. “Let her go, traitor,” she said. Even with the modulator on her helmet, Satine could hear the coldness in Bo-Katan’s voice. 

“Traitor? You’re one to talk,” Merrik said with a dark laugh.

Within steps, they were at the hatch of a boarding vessel, and Satine realized this was it. This is the end of her. She took a deep, centering breath, trying to release her fear, just as Obi-Wan had taught her.

“Bo-Katan, since it looks like I won’t ever get another chance,” she started with a sigh, “I want you to know that I never wanted to leave without you all those years ago.” Satine’s voice wavered, unshed tears stung at her eyes. “I begged them to wait until we could get you and bring you with me, but the clan wouldn’t wait. I would never have left you behind if I hadn’t been dragged off without you. I need you to know that.”

Bo-Katan cocked her head. A strange look with her helmet. She quickly pulled it off, one blaster still trained on Merrik, and locked eyes with Satine. “I know, Satine. I know. I don’t blame you at all for what happened. I...I missed you, though, and I was angry-”

Merrik scoffed. “This sisterly bonding moment is touching.  _ Truly  _ it is. But we really must be going.”

Satine felt his grip loosen slightly as he stepped closer to the hatch, and, in a heartbeat, years of training flooded her. “You are nothing more than a heartless  _ slug,”  _ she shouted, as she smashed the heel of her boot into his instep, grinding it. He yelped in agony, loosening his grip even more. She took the opening, and swung free of his grip, wrenching his arm around and pulling the blaster from his hand in one, fluid movement. Before he could blink, she was free, the blaster trained on his head. “And slugs are so often trod upon.” Bo-Katan smirked, dropping her helmet and leveling both blasters at him again.

He shrugged, irritatingly smug. “Interesting turnabout. But even if I do not deliver the duchess alive to the Separatists, I’ll still win.” He flashed the remote detonator in his hand. “The second I’m away, I’ll hit the remote and blow the  _ Coronet  _ to bits.” He chuckled at his devious plan. 

“I will  _ not  _ allow that,” Satine growled, steadying her aim. 

“What will you do? If you shoot me, you’ll prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist ideal you hold dear.” He whirled on Bo-Katan. “And  _ you,  _ Bo-Katan. If you shoot me you’ll prove yourself no better than your lover, Pre Vizsla. Oops. Didn’t know that, did you, duchess? Not only is your sister a murderous agent of Death Watch, she was  _ literally  _ in bed with Vizsla the whole time!” He laughed, thoroughly amused by his little bit of gossip. “Bo-Katan will be hailed a hero by everyone on the ship. Everyone but her  _ sister.” _

Bo had killed her  _ lover?  _ The weight of everything Bo-Katan had done for Satine’s family deepened. Satine felt a rush of renewed faith in Bo. 

Satine exchanged a quick glance with Bo. Bo’s green eyes were hard and angry and Satine could see her trigger fingers tightening around each trigger of her blasters. Satine steadied herself again, trying to calm her senses.

“Come on. Come on then. Who’s going to label themselves a cold blooded killer?”

A blaster bolt ripped through Merrik’s chest from behind. His eyes rolled into his head, and then he dropped. As he fell, a hand from behind darted out and caught the detonator.

“Tol’ket,” Satine breathed out.

“I never did like the man, your grace,” he said simply.

Satine dropped the blaster she held down to her side and took a deep, calming breath. Bo-Katan holstered her blasters and picked up her helmet.

“Duchess, Lady Kryze, if you’ll follow me. I’m afraid Obi-Wan may be close to having a stroke if he doesn’t see the duchess’ face soon.” He strode off down the corridor, remarkably casual. Satine and Bo stepped gingerly over the body of Merrik, and followed behind him, side by side.

“You could have shot him, you know. I wouldn’t have been upset,” Satine said.

“I know,” Bo replied. “ _ You _ could have shot him. I would have told everyone it was me to cover for you.” 

“I know,” Satine smirked. “Did you know he was with Death Watch?” she then asked.

“No,” Bo said, brow furrowed.

“Did you know Vizsla was working with the Separatists?”

Bo shook her head, then looked over at Satine. “I guess there was a lot he was keeping from me. He must have been onto me. Good thing I shot him.”

“But, Bo. Your  _ lover _ ? Really? Can we discuss your choice in men?” Satine said, arching a brow as they rounded a corner, coming face to face with the aftermath of a battle between droids, clones, Protectors, and Jedi . Obi-Wan was running toward them. Satine could almost taste Obi-Wan’s relief when he caught sight of her.

“Oh, please, Satine. You’re one to talk. You  _ married  _ a Jedi,” Bo scoffed, gesturing at the man as he dashed to them. “Besides, Vizsla was nothing more than a good lay. He was a karking  _ bastard  _ the rest of the time.” They both looked at each other and began to laugh. Obi-Wan, now standing in front of them, breathing hard from exertion, looked at them curiously, then at Tol’ket, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

Satine realized at that moment that her sister was truly back.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korkie, as a 16 year old boy, with the fiery blood of the Kryze clan and a Kenobi flowing through him, has no problems swearing at his father. 
> 
> Tol'ket. Bless this poor man. I never knew I was going to love him as much as I do. 
> 
> Even estranged older sisters will call you out on your really, horrible choice in men.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! You all are my favorites. Your positive vibes have helped, and there WILL be a decent chapter for you to enjoy on Friday! I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with a prize fighter, but it's almost done, and it'll be good fun, I think! (Small teaser....someone we love is joining the "Palpy is a bastard" club).


	23. Our Very Own Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing good ever comes from a trip to Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the bastard chapter!!! 
> 
> Hang in there, it's on the longer side (but not as long as it was when I finally worked it loose. Editing matters).
> 
> New perspective in part of it, and I hope you love their voice as much as I do.
> 
> I have never quite suffered for my "art" as I have over this damn chapter. I started writing it 3 or 4 times, with different characters' voices, different planets, completely different situations. And EVERY time, I'd get about 1500 words in, groan dramatically, and storm off somewhere to eat vegan gummy worms. When I finally shut up and listened to the characters and wrote what they were telling me to write, lo and behold, the chapter came together. For some reason, I didn't want to write THIS set of circumstances. I wanted to be clever and try and make it background, but they were ALL yelling at me that it couldn't be background. And they were right.
> 
> Moral of the story: when your story is being a right bastard, just shut up, stop writing, and listen to your characters for a little while. It's their story, and they will make you tell it for them if you just stop trying to force it.
> 
> So, here we are, and I'm mostly pleased with how it turned out! Thanks for all the kindness, as always!

_ 21 BBY _

Anakin gaped at the  _ Coronet  _ as it descended to the docking platform. Usually a graceful, albeit grandiose ship, it currently looked a great deal like many of the fresh from battle GAR cruisers he saw on his own missions.

Padme, standing next to him in the gathered crowd of dignitaries waiting to greet the emissaries of the Council of Neutral Systems, gasped as the damage came into better view.

“Sithspit,” Anakin muttered. “That’s not good.”

Korkie had commed Anakin the day before, filling him in on all the wild, improbable details of his parents’ recent adventures with Death Watch. He was prepared for all of that, or as prepared as one could be, considering.

And the Jedi Masters traveling on the  _ Coronet  _ as a protection detail had gotten word to the Senate regarding the absolute shitstorm that had broken out on the  _ Coronet  _ overnight. So, he thought he was ready for what docked. He wasn’t.

But, what really struck him speechless, as the passengers disembarked, was the exhausted, troubled look in his mother’s eyes, and the anger on his father’s face. They had been through hell, and despite his mother’s well practiced mask of polite indifference, he could see right through it. 

Then there was the matter of the woman in Death Watch armor that strode out confidently behind his parents. Korkie had prepared him for this moment, in particular, but the sight was still a shocking one, as the woman’s head turned on a swivel, a hand on a blaster, looking for any imminent danger. So, this was the long lost Bo-Katan.

“Ani, my bright one. I’m so happy to see you,” Satine said as she reached them, wrapping Anakin in an embrace.

“Hi, Mum,” he said into her ear. “Are you ok?”

She pulled away, gave him a tight smile. “We’ve certainly had better days.”

He frowned at her as she turned to the armored woman. “Bo-Katan, meet my oldest child, Anakin Skywalker. And this,” she smiled warmly at Padme, pulling her close, “is his wife, Padme Amidala.”

Bo-Katan pulled off her helmet, presenting Anakin with a face that was undeniably Kryze- refined, aristocratic, and fierce. Unlike his mother, though, she wore a hard, battle worn gaze. “Anakin,” she greeted in a clipped tone. 

He shook her hand. “Bo-Katan. I gather I have you to thank for keeping both my parents out of trouble.”

The corner of her mouth twitched up. “No easy task,” she said. Anakin chuckled.

Obi-Wan, who had paused to discuss something with Tol’ket, joined them with a good natured chuckle. “Come now, Bo-Katan. You’d have grown bored with us already if we weren’t constantly facing life ending peril.” 

Satine shook her head with a smile and tugged on Anakin’s arm. “Come on, Ani. Let’s get this over with.” She looped her arm through his, and he led her toward the rest of the travel party, being greeted by the Chancellor.

“Duchess Satine, we’re so glad to see you and your party have arrived safely,” the Chancellor said, smiling at Satine. Anakin could feel the wave of animosity wash off his mother. 

“Thank you, Chancellor. It was an...interesting trip, to say the least.” She turned toward Bo-Katan, drawing her into the conversation. “Your excellency, may I introduce you to our new governor of Concordia, Bo-Katan Kryze. She will also be acting as second-in-command to Obi-Wan as he restructures Death Watch.”

Anakin watched the Chancellor absorb his mother’s bluntly announced news. He could swear a shadow of anger passed over his features before replacing it with his usual mask of serenity. “ _ Kryze,  _ you say?”

“Yes, Chancellor,” Bo-Katan said, offering a stiff, tiny bow. “I am the duchess’ sister.”

“Forgive me, Duchess, I wasn’t aware you had surviving family after your planet’s civil war.” Again, he saw a momentary break in the man’s mask. Subtle, but it was there. Anakin glanced at his father, caught his eye. Obi-Wan gave a tiny nod. He must have caught it, too.

Satine smiled graciously. “As is the way of our family, it is a complicated situation, your excellency. I’m sure you’ll forgive us. We’re all a bit weary from the  _ adventurous  _ trip and are anxious for a few minutes to rest before the Senate session begins.”

Palpatine smiled, matching Satine’s grace. “Of course, of course, Duchess. Please.” He gestured for her to make her way into the Senate building. She tightened her grip on Anakin’s arm as they walked into the building, Bo-Katan walking alongside her, Obi-Wan and Padme following.

As they entered the Mandalorian senatorial offices, Bo-Katan made a disgusted noise. “Ugh. I don’t like him.”

Obi-Wan grinned wickedly as he reclined on a sofa overlooking the city. “The Chancellor? Join the club.”

Padme tsked at him good naturedly. “Obi-Wan, he’s mostly harmless.” Anakin rolled his eyes at his wife. They had had this conversation a few times over their time together. Her respect for the man had certainly waned as the war had dragged on, but he had been her mentor when she was young. He understood it was hard to detach from those memories.

“Padme, I love you and respect you, but I don’t think I’d trust that man as far as I could throw him,” Satine said as she checked her headdress in a mirror.

Anakin watched Bo-Katan curiously, her signature in the Force crackling with tension and anxiety. Full of kinetic energy, she moved to the window, watching the air traffic zip by. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she said, to no one in particular. “I don’t think this will go as smoothly as we’d like.” 

Satine sighed, and moved to stand next to Bo-Katan at the window, watching the world race by alongside her. “Let’s hope for once your instincts are wrong.”

* * *

  
  


Bo-Katan had not been wrong. She had been very, very right. 

The Senate session was a disaster. Anakin watched from an observation balcony as Palpatine played a message from Deputy Minister Jerec, calling for the Republic’s intervention in Mandalore’s politics. The distress in his mother’s voice shot through him like a blaster bolt. She was right. Jerec wouldn’t say such things. He’d known the man since he was a boy, and Jerec had always been staunchly opposed to anything other than neutrality.

What’s more, when Satine had demanded time to speak with Jerec and clear this up, the Chancellor announced he had been killed, just that morning, in a bombing on Kalevala. When the Chancellor said it was a bombing carried out by Death Watch, Anakin watched in astonishment as Bo-Katan went apoplectic. 

“That’s  _ impossible!”  _ she shouted, jumping to her feet. “The Death Watch leadership that would have ordered such atrocities are  _ dead.  _ Those that remain are loyal to Mandalore!”

Satine laid a steadying hand on Bo-Katan’s arm as the Chancellor shook his head sadly. “Clearly,  _ Governor _ Kryze, Death Watch isn’t as loyal as you would like to believe.”

“This is outrageous,” Bo-Katan growled, as Obi-Wan gently pulled her back to sit in the back of the pod. Their heads were together, having a heated, whispered conversation, while Satine stood stoically, listening as Palpatine announced there would be a vote for the Republic to “aid” Mandalore the next day.

The session ended, and Anakin had to practically run to keep up with his mother and his aunt, as they stormed out of the building to wait for their speeder, angrily discussing their next moves. Obi-Wan walked along with Anakin. “This is bad, isn’t it?” Anakin asked.

“This is definitely not good, Anakin. We can not have the Republic coming to Mandalore. It will make us a target. Just another battleground for the Republic and the Separatists to fight over.” 

“What are we going to do?”

Obi-Wan sighed heavily. “Bo-Katan and I will contact Death Watch and assure that whatever happened to Jerec this morning wasn’t done at the hands of the forces that _ I  _ now control.” He rubbed his chin. “Your mother has a contact here she wants to reach out to who may have information to help us.”

Anakin nodded his head as they waited in the warm sunshine. “Ok. That’s good. How can I help?”

Obi-Wan squeezed his shoulder as the speeder pulled up. “I’m not quite sure at the moment, dear one. Come to the apartment and we’ll discuss it there.” With that, he helped Satine into the speeder, before following her himself. Bo-Katan, helmet on, and Tol’ket followed.

Padme appeared at Anakin’s elbow. “Bail is working to drum up dissenting votes. I’m going to stay and help.”

Anakin turned and nodded at his wife. “Alright. I’m going to see what help I can offer.” He gestured after the speeder.

“Yes, you should. I’ll call you later, let you know how things are going,” Padme said as a valet brought their speeder up. She stood on her toes and placed a discreet kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry, Ani, we’ll get this under control.” He nodded and gave her a worried smile as he climbed into the speeder.

Anakin was in the air mere seconds when he saw the flare of a small explosion in a speeder far ahead. It careened out of the traffic lane, billowing smoke and flames, and then veered toward a landing platform on an apartment building. The Force shouted at him. He recognized that speeder. “Oh no,” he muttered, shoving the controls to follow it down.

As he raced toward the smoldering speeder, he watched in horror as the four passengers in the back stood, moving to the edge and _jumped_. But, the fall was controlled, slowed, and the four tumbled far softer to the platform than they should have from the height from which they jumped. Moments later, the speeder crashed into the side of a super tower, exploding into a fireball. 

“Karabast!” Anakin swore, bringing the speeder down, landing it roughly next to his parents. Anakin leapt out before it had even finished gliding to a stop. “Are you all ok?” He ran to his mother first, helping her to her feet. 

“I’m alright, Anakin. Thanks to your father’s  _ jetii  _ magic.” 

“It’s  _ not  _ magic, Satine,” Obi-Wan grumbled as he climbed to his feet, brushing dust from his tunic and trousers.

She glanced around them. Bo-Katan was already on her feet, but Tol’ket remained seated, elbows resting on his knees, cradling his head in his hands.

“Tol'ket? Tol'ket?! Are you alright?” She rushed to him, crouching down to look him over. 

He waved a hand to show he was fine. “I’m fine, your grace. I may need a vacation, however.”

She laughed as she gently pulled him to his feet. “The best vacation money can buy, my friend,” she said, checking him over once more.

“Clearly someone is trying to kill you, Satine,” Bo-Katan said in exasperation. Tol’ket turned hard eyes on her. Even with her helmet on, Anakin could  _ feel  _ the woman roll her eyes. “And it wasn’t  _ me,  _ Tol’ket.”

“I didn’t say it was, Bo-Katan,” he snarked back. 

“You were thinking it.”

“Stop it,” Obi-Wan growled in frustration. “We need to go back to the Senate and report this. Bo-Katan isn’t wrong. Someone is trying to kill you, my dear. Or all of us. We’re in somebody’s way, and only have gotten more in their way in the last couple of days.”

Satine sighed, shoulders slumping. “Sadly, I think you’re right, Obi-Wan.”

* * *

  
  


As a whole, Bo-Katan was vastly underwhelmed with the inner workings of the Republic, thus far. In fact, she felt quite certain there was a lot more going on beneath the bland, benevolent faces of these politicians and the half-truths they spoke. 

And the damn Chancellor made her skin absolutely crawl. She had seriously considered tossing him out the window in his office when he refused to investigate the speeder crash.

An accident? Please. Bo knew sabotage when she saw it. Hells, she’d sabotaged more than a few things in life. And the timing was too good for it to be mere coincidence. 

And then the kid’s wife (she still couldn’t wrap her mind around her sister having a  _ married  _ child) came in and announced that the Senate had called an emergency session and voted to send troops to Mandalore. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen Satine quite so angry, even after the events of the last few days.

She had grudgingly let Satine go off with Anakin to find her contact. Bo-Katan had wanted to escort her herself, but Kenobi had insisted she stay in the apartment with him, to reach out to Ursa Wren, who had been left in charge of Death Watch. Satine said Golec, her contact, would spook at the sight of Bo, armed to the teeth and covered in beskar. She wasn’t sure how big, imposing Anakin, with two blasters  _ and  _ a lightsaber would be less frightening, but she’d relented.

So, she stood with Kenobi and Tol’ket in front of a holoprojector, and her stomach sank at the news Ursa shared. Traitors. Sympathizers with Vizsla, working with the Separatists.

“We rounded up and shot a dozen of them, Bo, but at least a dozen more got away, taking a ship,” Ursa said. “I’m not sure where they went, but it’s nowhere good.”

“Do you think others will turn?” Bo-Katan asked, trying to will her voice steady. The whole thing had happened too fast. She had never meant it to happen so fast. She had needed more time to take over Death Watch cleanly, and now it was unraveling. Her chest felt tight.

Ursa’s lips twisted in a cold smile. “No. Most of these troops are true Mandalorians and will follow their Mand’alor, even if it  _ is  _ him.” She gestured at Kenobi, who just shook his head. Tol’ket clenched and unclenched his fists, but, to his credit, kept his mouth shut in a hard, thin line. “The rest are scared shitless to say anything out of line.”

Kenobi rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful and damnedably calm.  _ How did he stay so calm?  _ Bo found herself wondering. “It would be good if our troops were with us due to loyalty and not because they fear for their lives.”

Ursa shook her head and rolled her eyes. “With all due respect, Mand’alor, we can build morale once we’ve stemmed the bleeding of traitorous troops and your duchess isn’t constantly under threat.”

Just then, as if on cue, Kenobi’s commlink went off. “Satine?”

_ “Obi-Wan, I believe Anakin and I have found ourselves in a bit of a situation _ .”

Kenobi closed his eyes for a moment, sighed. “What sort of situation?”

Satine sounded out of breath and sirens could be heard in the background. “ _ Someone shot Golec, Anakin ran after the shooter, and, well, it seems I’m now the main suspect _ .”

“ _ Harr’chak!”  _ Bo-Katan and Tol’ket both swore at the same time. 

“Ursa, we have to go, keep me posted,” Bo said to Ursa’s flickering image. The other woman gave a quick nod, and the image flickered out.

“Alright, Satine, I have your coordinates,” Kenobi was saying. “We’ll come help.”

“ _ Hurry!”  _ The commlink shut off.

They moved toward the door, Bo-Katan stopping only to grab her jetpack. As she went to walk out the door, Tol’ket grabbed her arm. She wrenched away.

“Bo-Katan, you can’t go walking around Coruscant with a jetpack. Not if you don’t want to draw attention to yourself,” he said, scowling.

“I’m not going out there  _ not _ fully prepared,” she shot back.

He looked to the ceiling in exasperation. “Just...hang on.”

He stepped into a closet by the door, producing a cloak, and draped it over her. “Just don’t be so kriffing blatant, you  _ di’kut.” _

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” He swung his own jetpack on, and walked out the door ahead of her, wrapping his own cloak around him, giving her a smug look as he pushed by.

She hated him. 

* * *

  
  


Bo and Tol’ket took vantage points above the commons as a cloaked Kenobi quietly walked around, looking for Satine. Bo had pulled the cowl of her own cloak over her helmet, and crouched on a deck above the commons, scanning the crowd. The police and Coruscanti guards were everywhere, canvassing for tips on Satine, but  _ they  _ weren’t the ones shooting at her sister. She was looking for someone out of place. Hunting, stalking, like her. 

From her perch, she could see Kenobi talking to another cloaked figure. Bo-Katan didn’t need to see her face to know it was Satine. They sat down, back to back, and exchanged a few words. Satine slipped him something, which he quickly pocketed. After a moment, they got up, and walked together, moving away from Bo, toward Tol’ket. The man caught her eye, sent her a subtle signal, which she acknowledged with a small nod.

She hung back as Tol’ket fell in behind Satine and Kenobi, a few meters back. As they ducked into a small side street, Bo started to follow, trying to keep to the walkways and decks above them, her eyes scanning for trouble, for things out of place on the busy streets.

As they rounded another corner, she spotted him. A Mandalorian in Death Watch armor.  _ The bastard!  _ He was moving swiftly, clearly unaware that he was being watched.

“Tol’ket!” she hissed into her commlink. “There’s a Mando coming up on your left.”

Tol’ket didn’t answer, but she saw he got the message when he shouted as he tackled the commando, though not quick enough. The man had been able to throw a thermal detonator toward Satine and Kenobi. Tol’ket’s shout, though, alerted Kenobi, who pushed Satine out of the way with some invisible force, and leapt to cover her. 

Bo-Katan started running before the blast went off, and was nearly knocked off her feet from the explosion. As she ran, she saw the commando break free of Tol’ket and level a blaster at Satine. But Kenobi was up and running, meeting the commando with a powerful left hook, connecting with the man’s helmet, and sending him reeling back. He followed it with another jab, before Tol’ket joined in with his own right hook. Bo was starting to fear she’d miss the party, so she ripped off the cloak as she ran, ignited her jetpack, and took flight.

Suddenly, Kenobi, once again, seemed to gather his magical powers around him, and threw the man with some unseen force over the edge of the walkway. Bo-Katan changed course, and dived down after him. He barely fired his jetpack in time, kicking off the ground to push back into the air instead of colliding with the ground. But Bo met him, catching him by surprise, as she kicked him hard in the helmet, sending him yawing hard off to the right. Before he could correct his course, she fired at his pack, causing it to sputter and die. He dropped like a stone, but Bo was on him, grabbing him by the lip of his chestplate, and tackling him, hard, into the sidewalk below. 

The air left him in a giant gust, causing his voice modulator to distort. She kneeled on his chest, pinning him to the ground. She ripped off his helmet, and leveled a blaster at his head.

“Saxson. You son of a bitch,” she growled.

“You’re just a kriffing  _ dar’manda,”  _ he sneered back. She slapped him with the butt of her blaster before leveling it at him again. Why does everyone keeping calling her _dar'manda,_ for kriff's sake?

“ _ Kandosii!”  _ Tol’ket yelled over the roar of his jetpack. She turned and looked up at him, and caught sight over his head of Satine and Kenobi looking down from above, before hurrying off together. She sent a prayer to the galaxy that they’d get to safety.

“Don’t kill him, Bo-Katan. This  _ aruetii  _ is going to sing for us.” He pulled his own blaster, leveled it with one hand while pulling Bo off of him by the elbow. He dragged Saxson to his feet. “Hands on your head,” he growled, jabbing the blaster into the man’s temple. He rolled his eyes but complied.

“Real Mando'ade would just shoot me and be done with it,” Saxson spat petulantly.

Bo smacked him again as she rid him of his weapons. “No. Real Mando’ade follow their rightful Mand’alor.”

Tol’ket pulled out a pair of binders. “What she said,” he muttered, roughly wrenching the man’s arms down, binding his hands behind his back. “Let’s go, Bo-Katan, before we draw anymore attention from the locals.”

As they moved down the sideway, Bo turned, blasters drawn, at the sound of running feet. Anakin slid to a stop in front of her, hands raised.

“Kriffing hells, kid. Don’t you know not to run up on a Mandalorian?”

Tol’ket chuckled. “Karking jetii think they can get away with shit like that.”

Anakin looked sheepish. “I was trying to catch him.” He gestured at Saxson. “Looks like I missed the fun.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Bo grumbled, then smacked Anakin in the back of the head. “Don’t leave your mother, next time!” She turned, stalking off after Tol'ket and their prisoner.

“Ow, geez, alright, alright.” Anakin rubbed his head. Properly chastened, he fell into step beside Bo.

“Thanks, Bo,” he said quietly.

“For what?”

“For being here.”

She glanced up at him, unsure what to say. “Sure thing, kid.” 

* * *

  
  


The message from Jerec originally played by the Chancellor had been heavily doctored, though by who, no one knew. Bo-Katan had a growing list of suspects, though. Kenobi had gotten the full recording to Padme, who had played it for the Senate. In it, Jerec had commended Satine, Kenobi, and the new leaders of Death Watch for their brave steps forward, and had condemned any action the Republic might take to “aid” Mandalore in its time of coalition building. It was enough to get the vote recalled. 

Mandalore was safe. Mandalore would retain its neutrality. 

Satine and Kenobi disappeared into their bedroom as soon as they made it back from the Senate building, the events of the last several days catching up to them. Bo-Katan didn’t blame them and wished she could follow their example, as exhaustion weighed her down.

Instead, despite her fatigue, she felt wired and antsy, so she had stripped out of her beskar to her jumpsuit, wrapped herself in a blanket, and sat out on the balcony, watching the late night traffic fly by.

“Can’t sleep?”

She startled at the voice, turned to see Tol’ket, out of his own Protector armor. He held a bottle of  _ tihaar  _ and two glasses. 

She shook her head. “No. I really hate this karking planet. Makes me jumpy.”

He sat down in the chair next to her, poured them each a glass. “Oya,” he said quietly as he handed her a glass.

“Oya.”

They drank before he spoke. “Funny. Anakin has talked about how  _ bad  _ this planet feels to him. You know,  _ jetii  _ nonsense." He waved his hands in pantomime. "I know Obi-Wan has mentioned it, too. Hells, Lily is actually subdued here, like something is slowing her down.” He looked over at her. She gestured for him to get on with his point. “Point being, I think we all hate this karking planet. I, for one, will be very happy when we limp the  _ Coronet  _ back into Mandalore’s orbit tomorrow, and can actually see some  _ dirt.  _ All this concrete and durasteel. Eh...Mandalore may be a mess, but it’s our mess.”

Bo smirked, and raised her glass to him. “I’ll drink to that. To Mandalore, our very own mess.”

“To our very own mess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing in Bo's voice, and I could write in it all day. I think it's because it is the closest to my actual voice, but make it swarzy.
> 
> Kandosii means well done or good job. For once Tol'ket wasn't bitching at Bo in Mando'a! But then he has to remind her not to kill him.
> 
> I made the assassin Gar Saxson for no other reason than I wanted him to have a name and be a face Bo recognized. I can't even tell if he was actually IN Death Watch at this point when I researched him. But I don't like him, possibly even more than Pre Vizsla, so there we have it. 
> 
> Our power couple FINALLY got to go to bed!!!!
> 
> For my Bo'ket shippers....I'm sure that last scene did little to dissuade you. Have fun with that. 
> 
> Thanks again for all the love!!


	24. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone feels like they've lost control.
> 
> Someone learns better control.
> 
> Someone is out of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy!
> 
> I'm doing something I never really expected to need to do, but after writing this chapter, I feel it needs a tiny ***CONTENT WARNING*** We're going to say it is for mentions of...dubious consent and possible abusive/manipulative relationships. If it may bother you, I suggest skipping from "Saxon just reclined back" and pick back up at "She hauled back to punch him again." Context clues will probably make it clear what happened, but I'll give a synopsis in the notes at the end.
> 
> Lots of love to you all! Thanks for the amazing support!

_ 20 BBY _

Satine sat on the edge of their bed and watched Obi-Wan pack. 

"I still don't like this, Ben," she said, smoothing a wrinkle from a tunic in his travel case.

He paused to kiss her on the crown of her head. "It will be fine, my love. It's just a quick trip. It will do Korkie some good, and he needs the credits for school."

She sighed. "You would think that as Duchess, I could get my own child out of community service credits."

Obi-Wan chuckled as he closed the travel case. "You're not that kind of Duchess. Korkie  _ wants  _ to do this. He misses Anakin. Master Plo is leaving troops with us for security. We’ll be fine." He sat down next to her, pulling her against him. "A week. It's just a week."

"There's just so much going on right now…" Satine trailed off. They'd had this discussion several times over the last few weeks, after Anakin had invited Korkie and their father on a relief mission with him, shortly after Satine and Obi-Wan had returned from Coruscant. She was just repeating herself, again. 

Obi-Wan framed her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. "Bo-Katan and Wren have things under control on Concordia and with Death Watch. We're going to try to talk to Saxon again before I leave; see if he’s willing to say anything yet. It's all under control." He brushed a loose tendril of hair from her face and studied her carefully, brow pinched in concern. "It's unlike you to worry so. What is it?"

Satine rested her head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, grateful for a quiet moment with him after the chaos that had erupted in their life recently. “I honestly don’t know. After everything that has happened, nothing actually  _ feels  _ in control. It’s unnerving.”

“Ahh, well,” he sighed, pressing soft kisses along her jaw. “Sometimes one must relinquish control to gain it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t drag out your old Jedi nonsense on me, Obi-Wan.”

He gently pushed her back on to the bed, dragging his lips along her neck. “It’s not nonsense, my love,” he said, reclining next to her, his hand trailing up her thigh, bunching her skirt up as it went. 

She fought the urge to hum in pleasure at his touch. “Is this really the best use of your time, right now? Don’t you have to meet Bo-Katan and Tol’ket?” she asked instead, though it came out a little breathier than she would have liked, as his hands roamed over her. 

He kissed her again, this time with far more fire, before grinning. “I am their Mand’alor,” he smirked as he lit her skin ablaze with kisses across the exposed skin of her neckline. “They can wait.”

She laughed. “That is  _ not  _ an appropriate use of that title, Obi-Wan! And you’re just trying to distract me.”

He looked up at her with a mischievous grin as his hand met the bare skin of her exposed thigh. “Is it working?”

She meant to protest. She really did. But he kissed the protest right out of her and instead of protesting, she dragged him to her.

* * *

Bo-Katan was still learning her way around the palace, so it was by accident when she stumbled into what must have been the training gymnasium for the Protectors. She’d gotten word from Kenobi as her shuttle from Concordia had landed that he was held up in a meeting, so she’d taken herself on a walk, and found herself watching Tol’ket give her niece a lesson in hand-to-hand combat.

Bo leaned against a wall, surprised Lily didn’t immediately break away from Tol’ket to come tackle her in a hug, as the girl had done in their few meetings after their first, awkward introduction in the middle of the night. Bo still didn’t know what to make of the whole hugging business, so it was a relief to not have to deal with that awkwardness and, instead, just observe quietly.

Lily was clearly a gifted and diligent student. Satine had mentioned it as much in the brief moments she had shared personal details about her family, when they were actually putting some effort into rebuilding their relationship instead of just working to keep Mandalore safe. But seeing the young girl in action made it clear. She would be lethal, even without her inherited Jedi trickery. Bo felt a little twinge of pride.

But, Bo noted, Lily was working harder than she really needed to. Sure, she could take Tol’ket down; he wasn’t going to fake it to boost the girl’s confidence. Lily could drop him legitimately on her own prowess. But, she was working too hard to do it. It could be easier.

“You’re teaching her wrong,” Bo called from her perch. 

Tol’ket signaled for Lily to pause. “Excuse me?”

“What you’re teaching her. It’s not right.”

He shook his head, incredulous. “I’m sorry. I have been teaching these children how to defend themselves since they could practically walk. Both the boys are stellar-”

“The boys are big, strapping boys.” Bo moved to the mats where they were grappling. “Lily is  _ not _ a big strapping boy. She’s a Kryze girl.” Lily watched Bo, eyes wide. Clearly, no one had told Tol’ket he was doing something wrong in front of her before. “You’re, what? Twelve?” Bo asked Lily.

“I will be in a month,” Lily said, nodding enthusiastically.

“Right. Which means Lily is basically all limbs and pointy elbows right now.” She gave Lily a small, knowing smile. “Satine was. I was," she said. "Still am," she added with a shrug.

“What, exactly, is your point, woman?” Tol’ket asked, growing frustrated at the interruption.

“My point is,  _ man,  _ that you have to make adjustments in how you do things when you’re basically built like a sapling and not like a gundark.” She gestured at Lily. “May I?”

He nodded an affirmative, then stood back as Bo made minor adjustments to Lily’s posture and advised her on different tactics. After a few minutes, she gestured at Tol’ket, signalling him to ready himself.

Lily, without hesitation, moved on Tol’ket as soon as he signaled he was ready, and had him on the floor, grunting, in an instant. She let out a war whoop in triumph as Bo, smirking, offered the man a hand up off the mats.

“Easier, yes?” she asked Lily.

“So much easier," the girl said breathlessly.

"See, Lily," she explained, as she nonchalantly buried her elbow into Tol'ket's solar plexus, catching him by surprise and doubling him over. "It's not about strength or size." Before he could react, she swept his legs out from under him at the knees with a smooth ronde of her leg, elegant as a dancer. He fell to his back side with a groan. "It's about using what you have to your advantage." She pinned him to the floor with her foot. "What was my advantage here?"

Lily, absolutely gleeful at the show Bo was giving her, was practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "Surprise!" she answered.

"Bingo, kid. You'll never have the brute strength of your brothers, or this guy." She offered him her hand again. "But you'll be quicker, lighter on your feet, and people will underestimate you, constantly. Use it."

Tol'ket glowered at her. "You couldn't have just  _ said  _ that?"

"Visual aids help the learning process," she said, deadpan, as Kenobi strolled in, looking fresh faced and relaxed. "Lily Bo, go show your dad what you learned."

Lily eyes gleamed with mischief as she ran over to Kenobi, chattering at him. Once in striking range, she went to duplicate Bo's move, only to have him deftly side step and rake her feet out casually at the ankles. She landed in a pile of limbs.

"You can't necessarily use surprise as an advantage against Force users, Lily. And that's  _ my  _ contribution to the lesson of the day," he said gently.

He walked away from her, grinning and ignoring her protests against injustices committed against a minor.

"Bo-Katan, you sounded like Master Yoda just then," he said in greeting, cocking an eyebrow at her in good humor.

She grimaced. She certainly did not want to be compared to a Jedi, particularly the strange little green one. "You heard that?"

"I heard all of it. Relax, it was a compliment. Yoda _ is _ very wise." He patted her on the shoulder, and she fought the urge to flinch. Would she ever get used to this family's tactile displays of affection? He turned to Tol'ket, smirking. "You, my friend, may need to sharpen up your senses, though, if you’re going to have these two teaming up on you." Tol’ket turned pink and started to protest, but sighed instead, shaking his head. Bo smirked. He couldn’t deny that a twelve year old and her aunt had taken him down. Twice. 

Lily returned, wrapping her arms around he father's waist. Clearly all was forgiven for the swift lesson he had taught her. Kenobi was far different than Bo and Satine’s father had ever been, but it was becoming clear that, when it came to handing out lessons at every possible opportunity, they were kindred spirits. 

"Will you spar with me, Buir?" the girl asked, clearly not ready to call it a day. Bo recognized herself, recognized Satine, in that tenacity.

Kenobi ran a loving hand down the girl's long, blonde braid, and smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I have pressing things to deal with with your ba'vodu and Tol'ket before I leave with your brothers, darling." Lily started to pout but he stopped her. "However, Ani will be here any minute, and he said he would practice with you." Kenobi looked around, as if about to tell a salacious secret. "I told him that if your forms were strong, you could spar with him using my lightsaber."

Lily's eyes went round as saucers. "Really?"

“Absolutely,” Kenobi said, smiling.

Tol’ket snorted. “One of them will lose a limb today. Maybe I should give the healers a heads up.” Bo smirked. She hadn’t seen any of Satine’s children wield a lightsaber- only Kenobi- but she figured if he had taught them, they would be deadly. Even overly enthusiastic Lily.

Lily ignored Tol’ket’s jab. “When do I get to try  _ that  _ one?” She gestured at the darksaber, hanging from her father’s belt, eyes sparkling.

Kenobi shook his head, growing serious. “For one thing, Lily Bo, it is a bit unwieldy in hand, even for me. You need more time with a proper lightsaber. Second,  _ this  _ saber is all but sacred to the Mando’ade, and we must treat it with the utmost respect.” He pulled Lily into a tight hug. “Which means we won’t be using it to knock the stuffing out of your older brothers. Go. Stay out of trouble until Ani gets here.” He gave the girl a gentle shove, dismissing her.

Bo looked at Kenobi in surprise. She’d never before heard the man speak with such reverence regarding the darksaber. He’d only ever been reluctant to carry it, to carry the title that came with it. It was dawning on her that perhaps some of his reluctance was because he truly understood the significance of it all.

Maybe her split second decision to make sure it ended up in his hands wasn’t the worst decision she’d ever made.

Kenobi turned to Bo-Katan and Tol’ket. “Alright. Let’s go see if our friend is feeling a bit more chatty today.”

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan was growing tired of looking at Gar Saxon’s face, as they entered the second hour of that day's interrogation.

The man was infuriatingly tight lipped, even after weeks of confinement and interrogation. And oh so smug about it. All he seemed to really be able to say were needling little comments aimed at Bo-Katan, and it was clear they were starting to take their toll on her.

“Tell us where the rest of the defectors went, Saxon,” she growled, leaning over the table between them.

Saxon just reclined back, putting his hands behind his head and smiled cockily at her. “Oh, the great Bo-Katan, now just another play thing to another man. You strutted around Death Watch like you ruled it, Vizsla’s little whore, so sure you had him wrapped around your little finger.” He chuckled. “If you only knew-”

Whatever restraint Bo had maintained in the past few weeks snapped then. Faster than Obi-Wan realized was possible, she had leapt over the table, tackled Saxson, and pinned him to the floor, her nose practically touching his. “Let me make myself  _ abundantly  _ clear, Saxon. You think being a smug, close mouthed little asshole until we get tired of you and finally kill you is being loyal. You think it makes you a true Mandalorian.” She shook the man, knocking his head against the floor. “But let me tell you what  _ real  _ loyalty is, you karking  _ shabuir.  _ I let that disgusting, vile, backstabbing piece of shit of a man continue to touch me in order to protect my family. To protect Mando’ade  _ children _ .” She hauled back and punched him, hard. “I let that fucker continue to take me to his bed to ensure the safety of Mando’ade children.  _ That  _ is loyalty.  _ That  _ is sacrifice.  _ That,  _ you walking disgrace to Mandalore, is what being a true Mandalorian is. It’s not you. It certainly wasn’t kriffing Vizsla, who, I’m starting to gather, was ready to sell Mandalore to Dooku for his own delusions of grandeur, you kriffing  _ dar’manda _ .” 

She hauled back to punch him again, but Tol’ket caught her wrist. Obi-Wan saw her flinch at the contact at first, then whip around to stare up at Tol’ket. “Steady on, Bo.” She looked back down at Saxon, whose nose was gushing blood and decidedly looked far more crooked than it had before. She looked back up at Tol’ket, who just gave her a tiny nod. Whatever that nod communicated to her sent all the tension out of her body. She slumped, her arm still held in place by Tol’ket. Her anger, her pain and trauma, which had been swirling around in the Force like a maelstrom, seemed to just evaporate as he pulled her to her feet. “Your point is made. Let me take this, alright?”

She nodded, face blank and pale, all the heat and fire out of her. It was a disconcerting image for a woman who typically wore her fierceness like a badge of honor. She looked back at Saxon, who had sat up and was wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “ _ Mir’osik,”  _ she spat at him.

Tol’ket gently pressed her toward the cell door. “Absolutely, Bo-Katan. He is a complete  _ di’kut.” _ He turned to Obi-Wan, and it was then that Obi-Wan saw the anger in the man’s face. Tol’ket, who could be harried and agitated and driven to frustration, but never truly angered. It was a harrowing sight. One that made Obi-Wan decide then and there to never drive this good man to real anger.

“Mand’alor, let me handle this. Take Bo-Katan.” Tol’ket’s voice was low, deep, and cold. 

“Tol’ket…”

“Sir, let me  _ handle  _ this.”

Obi-Wan held the man’s hard gaze for a long moment, before taking a deep breath. “Alright.” He moved toward Bo, who was standing with her back to the room, head hanging low. “Come, Bo-Katan.” He took her elbow and led her out of the cell. As the door slid shut behind them, he heard Tol’ket, voice still cold. “Time to talk,  _ besom.” _

* * *

  
  


An hour later, Tol’ket found them in Obi-Wan’s office. Obi-Wan had settled a silent Bo-Katan on the sofa and made them tea. It was the only thing he could think to do for her. The color was finally returning to her cheeks, and her rigid posture was pulling her back up to her full height as she slowly recovered from her burst of emotion. But she remained silent as she stoically sipped the tea, staring straight ahead.

Tol’ket sat a datapad down next to her tea cup. “They’ve gone to Carlac. The names on the list are everyone who is or was a traitor. You’ll want to cross reference it with who Wren killed and who you have rooted out yourself.” 

She picked up the datapad and started scrolling through it, reading names. She paused, and looked up at Tol’ket. “ _ Vor entye.” _

Tol’ket’s face softened slightly, he nodded to her. “Your debts are clear, Bo-Katan.” He turned to Obi-Wan, face stoney. “I’ve sent the healers to Saxon to patch him up after his accident.”

Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Tol’ket,” he groaned in admonishment.

“It was an accident, sir. I saw it myself. The damn fool is clumsy as hell.”

Bo-Katan snorted a little laugh from the sofa where she had resumed scrolling the datapad, making notes. 

“Alright, Tol’ket, alright.” Obi-Wan held his hands up in surrender. “Good you were there so you could get him medical attention.”

Obi-Wan stood and moved around his desk. “Now, I’m leaving with the boys in a few minutes. I’ll be gone a week. Bo-Katan, work with Wren and whoever else you trust to gather up those that may be left on that list that Saxon so graciously gave us.” Bo nodded without looking up from her list. “We’ll discuss what to do about Carlac when I get back. Your Duchess will take issue with any sort of military actions, but we may just have to live with her wrath, yes?” 

“Yes, Mand’alor,” they said in unison. It was not lost on Obi-Wan the manipulation tactic put into the use of his title. He  _ was _ Mand’alor. He  _ could  _ pull rank on Satine on this matter, despite how much the idea sickened him. It would require consideration and meditation over the next week.

Obi-Wan clapped his hands and smiled. “Wonderful. Now, I’m off to see what atrocities the Republic has wrought on the galaxy. Get to work, keep me posted, and may the Force be with us.”

Bo stood and clasped his arm, a proper Mandalorian warrior gesture. “K’oyacyi, Obi-Wan.” 

Tol’ket smacked him on the back, pushing him toward the door. “K’oyacyi, sir.”

Obi-Wan smiled as he left the office, off to meet his sons and head off into the stars. Mandalore was in good hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you skipped our possibly problematic paragraph (oooo....alliteration!): Saxon alludes to Bo's relationship with Vizsla and says some unsavory things. She proceeds to beat the crap out of him while explaining to him what it ACTUALLY means to be a true Mandalorian, and fills us in on some details of what she went through for the sake of keeping the Kryze kids safe. 
> 
> So, remember how I said you just have to shut up and let the characters tell you what the story is? Yeah. That's this chapter. It didn't go at all where I expected (it is, at least, heading where I want things to go. And all these things were meant to be here....I just didn't expect them to DOMINATE!). It's not exactly fluffy (especially the bit with Bo and Saxon), but it was ALMOST a chance to catch our breath!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about hand to hand save a tiny bit of basic self defense and what a friend taught me about punching nazis. I have no idea if a tall, weedy girl would need to approach beating the crap out of someone differently than her brothers...but it makes sense to me. Biomechanics and physics are a thing.
> 
> OF COURSE Lily wants to try her hand at the darksaber. Of course.
> 
> Mando'a head canon alert: Ver entye is "thank you" but the literal translation is "I accept a debt." Head canon is in Mando'a, you don't say "ver entye" for someone holding the door for you or pouring you a beer. You say it when you truly feel you're in debt to someone for their actions.   
> Mir'osik- dung for brains.  
> Besom- ill mannered lout, someone with no manners (I particularly get a chuckle out of this considering what just happened when Tol'ket uses it).  
> K'oyacyi- in this context means "come back safely," or "stay alive!" 
> 
> Once again, I am not here to deny or confirm Bo'ket. Make what you will of the way they interact. 
> 
> Thanks for all the love!!!


	25. Little Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A public crisis on Mandalore hits far too close to home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who here is celebrating the release (FINALLY) of the Mandalorian season 2 trailer *raises hand* In fact, watching it may be why I'm posting this later in the day than I usually do (I also have legitimate reasons for being later, too, don't worry). 
> 
> You all are great! A bit overwhelmed with all the wonderful comments today!

_ 20 BBY _

Satine was grateful for Padme’s decision to visit while Obi-Wan and the boys traveled together. Though they both knew that it was an official visit masquerading as a personal visit. Despite the discussions of the closed trade routes and rising troubles with black market goods plaguing Mandalore, thanks to the endless war, it was good to have a friend keeping her mind off of the consistent gnawing worry that had been growing for weeks.

They were having lunch on the terrace, Padme confiding to her how she wished Naboo could follow Mandalore into neutrality and the many roadblocks preventing such a thing, when Kayla rushed out, ashen faced.

“Your grace, Lily’s school just commed,” Kayla said, breathless, looking on the verge of tears. “Lily is being rushed to the hospital, along with many other children.” She paused, looking stricken. “She’s quite ill, your grace. There’s been an outbreak of some kind.”

Cutlery clattered to fine porcelain. Satine vision whited out for a moment and her heart seemed to stop in her chest. She struggled to think of all the little lessons Obi-Wan had taught her over the years; tried to will air into her lungs, push her fear away. But her fear was too deep, too personal. This was her Lily. This was the little whirlwind of fire and chaos and charm that ruled the palace. Lily, who could take down a Protector without even touching her unique gifts inherited from her father. Brilliant and witty Lily. Lily was unstoppable. A force unto herself…

The world slowly began to come back into focus around Satine, and she realized Padme was kneeling beside her, grasping her hand. Kayla was speaking.

“I’m sorry, Kayla. Wh-what were you saying?” she asked, shaking her head, trying to clear it of the panic.

“Tol’ket is bringing a speeder around to take you to the hospital, your grace. He should be here any second.” She wrapped a gentle hand around Satine’s elbow, helping her stand. Padme rose with her, looking up at her with concern.

“Do you want me to come with you, Satine?” she asked quietly.

Satine squeezed her hand tightly. “Please, Padme.” She was short on words, unable to express her immense relief that _someone,_ some part of her and Lily’s family, was here. 

Kayla and Padme escorted Satine through the palace to Tol’ket and her guards, waiting by a running speeder. Tol’ket rushed to her, offering her a hand into the speeder. Without a word, they sped off, Satine still gripping Padme’s hand tightly. 

They were met at the entrance of the hospital and whisked in by orderlies. The halls and wards were filled with children, all in varying degrees of distress. Satine recognized many faces of Lily’s classmates. Her stomach churned. “What has happened to these children?” she said under her breath as they moved into a less crowded hall.

Satine spotted two Protectors outside a private room, standing guard. She broke free of Padme and rushed to the door. Inside, looking tiny and fragile, lay Lily, curled tightly in a fetal position. She fell to her knees beside the bed, getting eye level with Lily. She pushed back her fear and anguish, trying to find some measure of calm as she reached and brushed Lily’s hair off of her damp, hot forehead.

“Oh, Lily Bo. I understand you’re not feeling so well,” she said quietly, surprised at the calmness in her tone.

Lily’s eyes fluttered open. “Hi Mum,” she whispered. She moved a hand away from where she had pulled them tight to her stomach, and reached out for Satine’s hand. Lily’s hands were clammy and cold. “They stuck needles in me, Mum,” Lily said, her eyes closing again, as she gestured at the IV line running to her arm.

Satine ran her thumb over Lily’s knuckles, studying her features. Her face was pinched and drawn in pain, and she was ghostly white. “I’m sorry, ad’ika. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to hold your hand for that, but they had to move quickly. It’s just to help you, even if it is unpleasant.” She shifted so she could sit on the edge of Lily’s bed, never letting go of her hand, and glanced over her shoulder. Padme stood in the doorway, Tol’ket was out in the hall, looking harried, fussing over a holoprojector.

“The nurse just said the doctor will be here to speak with you any moment, Satine,” Padme said quietly. “Tol’ket is trying to get through to Obi-Wan, but is having trouble.”

“Padme?” Lily said, opening her eyes back up.

Padme moved to the bed, crouching down to meet Lily’s eyes. “Hi, little one. You weren’t supposed to get sick while I was visiting!” she teased gently.

“Ugh, I know. We were going to go hiking in the mountains on Concordia,” she said, frustration over missing a chance for adventure giving her a little bit of her fire back for a moment. But then she grimaced, grabbed tightly to Satine's hand, and curled further in on herself. Satine shifted closer to her, running her free hand soothingly down her back. Satine was just about to ask about the doctor, when the man came in, looking weary.

“Duchess, my apologies for the delay in seeing you,” he said, bowing.

“I understand, doctor. No apologies are necessary. Do you know what is making the children so ill?”

He pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes darting from Lily to the door. “Perhaps we should speak outside,” he said gently.

Satine nodded and stood, gently pulling free of Lily. Lily started to protest feebly. “My little love, I’ll be right back. Padme will stay with you, alright?” She glanced at Padme, who was already moving to take Satine’s place next to Lily. She sat down, and Lily immediately took her hand, clinging to it.

Satine squeezed Padme’s shoulder before moving into the hall with the doctor. With status came privileges, Satine noted, as the hall was practically empty, save for a few nurses and orderlies rushing about, and the Protectors, standing guard. Compared to the halls and wards they had come through, this hall was practically peaceful.

“Your grace,” the doctor said, “the children aren’t sick from any known illness that we can test for. They’ve been poisoned.”

Satine’s knees felt like they were going to give way as her vision began to white out around the edges, as it had at the lunch table. In an instant, Tol’ket was to her side, holding her by the upper arm. “Get the duchess a chair,” he growled. She waved him off.

“I’m fine, Tol’ket. I’m alright.” He gave her a skeptical look, eyes narrowing, before releasing her. “Keep trying to get Obi-Wan.” 

“Yes, your grace,” he grumbled, moving a step or two away.

Satine turned back to the doctor. “Poisoned? With what?”

“We’re unsure as of yet, your grace, but we are running tests as we speak. The sooner we find the agent, the sooner we can provide an antidote.”

“And in the meantime? What are we doing for the children? For Lily?”

He sighed. “The only thing we can do- treat their symptoms as best we can. Pain relief for severe abdomen pain, anti-nausea medications, and fever reducers.”

Satine passed a hand across her forehead. “Yes, I see.” She took a breath, afraid to ask her next question. “How serious is this, doctor?”

A shadow passed over the man’s face as he searched for the best words to answer her question. “We need to move with utmost expediency, Duchess.” He cast his eyes down to the floor. He didn’t need to say it. These children were dying. Her child was dying.

“Tol’ket,” she called to the captain sharply.

“Your grace?” He was at her side immediately. 

“Provide the doctor with as many of the guard as you can spare to help aid in the investigation.”

“Of course, your grace.”

“And if you will please speak to Kayla for me. Have her bring me a bag of personal items- she’ll know what to pack- as well as some things for Lily. I’m sure she’ll feel better with some touches from home.” He nodded, looking as if he was fighting back his own anguish. “I’ll want to speak with Almec, but I’m not leaving Lily. He’ll have to come here.”

“I’ll arrange for everything, your grace. You worry about watching over the little one.” He smiled tightly at her, nodded curtly, and took off down the hall, barking into his commlink. 

Satine thanked the doctor, and returned to sit vigil over Lily, sending a prayer into the Force that her little one would be alright.

* * *

Bo-Katan refrained from flipping the table that she, Ursa Wren, and several other trusted commandos sat around in what was now, apparently,  _ her  _ office. She felt ill suited for this administration type of leadership, and her patience was growing thin while her anxiousness was growing wider. Flipping the table, she knew, would accomplish exactly nothing, but it  _ would _ be cathartic. 

“We need reconnaissance on Carlac,” Greer was saying. “The number of defectors there may be small, but we know nothing about what forces they may have allied with.”

“Greer is right,” Ursa said, nodding. “We know that Vizsla, and, subsequently, Merrik were both speaking with Dooku. We know that Separatist droids attacked the  _ Coronet. _ We don’t know what may be waiting for us.”

“Or we could just load up every fighter we have, and blow them off the face of that rock,” Bo offered.

Ursa rolled her eyes and shook her head. “If only.”

“Because we are a neutral government, we have to tread carefully with acts of aggression that are outside of our own system,” Allek said. When did  _ he  _ become such an expert on galactic law and diplomacy?

“I know that,” Bo snapped, then growled as her commlink went off. She activated it and sighed heavily when the figure blinked to life. “What, Tol’ket?”

“The Duchess needs you, Bo-Katan,” the man said simply.

“I’m busy. She and I have no business today.”

“It’s not  _ business,  _ Bo-Katan. She  _ needs  _ you,” he said, pushing some hidden meaning into the phrase that she was clearly not getting.

“What could she possibly need from me?”

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. He seemed more exhausted and agitated than normal, which was saying something, considering he was one of the most tightly wound men she had ever met. “She needs some family. Lily is sick. In the hospital.”

The others, all except Ursa, shifted uncomfortably in their seats. She angrily gestured for them to leave. Ursa stayed. “Isn’t Padme there?” Bo asked.

“Yes, the senator is here.” He growled in frustration. “Why are you being so difficult, Bo? She’s your sister. Lily is your niece, and, Force knows why, but the kid adores you. They  _ need  _ family. You, despite your best efforts, are family.”

Ursa smirked at her. She had been enjoying watching Bo squirm the last few weeks at her sudden acquisition of a  _ family _ . Bo wanted to smack the smirk off her face. 

“I don’t-”

“Listen, Bo,” he interrupted her. “I don’t have any family left. The only family I know is yours, and they need you. Get here. I’ll send you the coordinates for the hospital. Blast, if nothing else, you can come help me knock heads together to figure out who poisoned these kids.”

“Someone  _ poisoned  _ Lily? You could have led with that, asshole.” She started powering down datapads and stacking them neatly. A look of horror passed over Ursa’s face, taking care of her damn smirk.

“Lily and about ninety percent of her schoolmates. Are you coming?”

“Yes, damnit, Tol’ket. I am coming,” she barked.

“Good. See you soon.” His image flickered out.

“I like him,” Ursa said, leaning back in her chair, the smirk having returned.

“Shut up, Ursa.”

“It’s good you’re going,” Ursa said, more serious now. “If something like that were to happen to Sabine, I’d want people I trusted as close to me as possible.” They both glanced over at the pram where the tiny baby girl slept. Bo felt eternally indebted to Ursa, who had traveled back to Concordia from her family home on Krownest, newborn Sabine in tow, when Bo had realized her plans to take down Vizsla needed to be accelerated. She hadn’t asked her to do it. She could never have asked for something like that of her friend. Ursa had just done it, making up some excuse to a surprised Vizsla for why she had returned so soon. Bo looked forward to the day when she could tell Sabine the stories of her mother’s heroics.

“I’d murder anyone who so much as touched that kid of yours with my bare hands,” Bo said. 

“Yeah. And you  _ have  _ murdered for  _ that  _ kid,” Ursa said, gesturing in the general direction of Mandalore. “Go, Bo. Go help that nice man.” Bo shot her a murderous look, that just made Ursa cackle.

“Fuck off, Ursa,” Bo called as she stormed out of her office. More peels of laughter trailed after her, followed by indignant infant cries and the sound of Ursa's soothing voice.

Within an hour, Bo-Katan made her way rapidly through the hospital, horrified at the sight of dozens and dozens of sick children, worried staff, and stricken parents. Tol’ket, busy with a datapad, saw her approach, apparently on the look out for her. “Damn time,” he muttered, turning on his heel to lead her down a quiet hall.

“It’s not like I was across the street,  _ chakaar,”  _ she grumbled back, following behind him. 

He stopped at a door, gestured for her to go in. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. Lily, the little hellbeast, was tightly rolled in on herself, clutching her stomach with one hand, holding tightly to Satine’s hand with the other. Satine was laying behind her on the bed, the little girl’s back pulled flush to her. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly awake, humming softly, a lullaby Bo remembered from their childhood.

Tol’ket, still behind her, jabbed her in the back. She shot him a look, which he returned, gesturing for her to move into the room. She slumped her shoulders, and moved to the side of the bed, kneeling down. She hesitated for a moment, before reaching out and brushing damp, blonde tendrils of hair off of Lily’s forehead. She felt like she was burning from the inside out.

Lily’s eyes fluttered open. “Hi, little warrior,” Bo whispered.

“Ba’vodu?” the little girl croaked.

“Yeah, Lily Bo. I heard you could use some cheering up. I thought I could tell you stories of all the men I’ve killed,” she said, her lips quirking up in a half smile.

“You will do no such thing, Bo-Katan,” Satine said, sitting up from behind Lily.

“Why not, Mum? That sounds cool,” Lily said, her voice raspy, then winced, pulling herself into a tighter ball. Bo felt her heart clench. She’d kill whoever did this.

“Sleep, Lily,” Satine said soothingly.

“I hurt too much to sleep,” the kid whispered.

Satine glanced over to Tol’ket, who read the look instantly, and disappeared into the hall, off to harass some nurse into administering more pain relief to Lily, Bo assumed.

Satine looked at Bo. “You’re here,” she said simply.

“I am,” Bo stated the obvious.

“How did you find out?”

Bo gestured to where Tol’ket had been standing. “He asked if I would come help him.”

Satine gave her a skeptical look, not fully believing that was why Tol’ket had contacted her. Satine was nothing if not good at knowing a half truth when she heard one, Bo thought. She always had been.

“Is Obi-Wan on his way?” Bo asked, thinking maybe distracting Satine with details of her actual family may be better than dwelling on the uncomfortable status of their relationship.

Satine made a pained face, looked down at Lily, whose eyes were clamped shut, and ran a tender hand through the girl’s damp hair. “We can't reach him. Padme went to talk to the Jedi Council. They have a clone protection detail and a Jedi with them. Maybe they’ll have better luck.”

Bo briefly considered jumping in a ship and flying off to where Kenobi had told her they were traveling and bringing him home. But then she remembered what Tol’ket had said. What Ursa had said better. Satine needed her here.

So, she would  _ stay  _ here. Or at least in Sundari, as she hunted down the bastards who poisoned her niece. 

“They’ll get a message through. Don’t worry,” she said to her sister, trying to press some optimism into her voice.

Satine gave her a weak smile. “I’m glad you’re here, Bo.”

Bo pulled a chair close to the bed, sat down, and took Lily’s other hand. “Me, too, Satine.”

* * *

"What the hell, Anakin?" Korkie shouted over the din of blaster fire and whooshing lightsabers, wielding his own deftly to deflect blaster bolts. Obi-Wan couldn't have said it better himself.

"I don't know, Korkie," Anakin fired back, simultaneously blocking bolts while seamlessly firing a blaster. "What the hell, Ahsoka?" he yelled over his shoulder at the Togruta Padawan, a whirling blur of green lightsabers and acrobatics.

She growled in frustration. “I don’t know, Anakin! The place hasn’t seen a Seppie in days! This must be a new wave. Rex?” she called to the clone captain, who was handily picking off battle droids with his double blasters, almost casual in his stance.

He shrugged, never breaking his rhythm. “Best I can figure, Commander.” He turned and yelled over his shoulder at another trooper, desperately fighting with a comm system. “Jesse, tell me you have that thing up and running!”

“No such luck, Captain. It’s fried!” the clone called Jesse yelled back. 

Rex swore. “Keep trying! We’ve got to get some back up.”

Obi-Wan, cursing himself for only bringing the darksaber instead of his lighter, made  _ for  _ him,  _ by  _ him lightsaber, heaved the unwieldy thing around, blasting bolts back into the approaching droids. “We’re going to have to do  _ something.”  _ A bolt whizzed by his head as he turned to allow it to pass. “Anyone have any ideas, other than this?” He gestured at where they had taken cover.

“I’ve got an idea,” Anakin said. “Everyone stop firing.” Everyone did, only to look at him as if he had lost his mind. Rex and the other troopers, Ahsoka, Korkie, the other relief workers on Anakin’s team. They all just stared at him incredulously, as they hunkered down behind the hull of some ship that had been downed during the original battle on this planet. Obi-Wan groaned. “It’s fine. It’ll all be fine.” Anakin said as he smiled his crooked, cocky smile, and leapt on top of the hull of the derelict ship, hands raised. 

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan growled.

“It’s  _ fine,  _ Dad. Non-violence and all that, like Mum says, right?” 

Korkie thumped his head twice to the durasteel of the hull. “You’re a karking di’kut. Mum usually isn’t standing in front of an entire battle droid battalion when she says that stuff.”

Anakin shrugged, gestured at the droids. “Look, they’re not shooting. It works. I got this.” With that, he jumped down on the other side, and began walking toward the droids. “I am Anakin Skywalker, son of Manalore!” he shouted. Korkie and Obi-Wan groaned. “We come in peace, only to being aid to the civilians here on this planet. We would like to speak with your leader.”

“Did he really just pull the ‘take me to your leader' card?" Ahsoka asked. Korkie snorted.

“Sir, your son is an idiot. A brave idiot. But still an idiot,” Rex said to Obi-Wan.

“He’s Mandalorian,”Obi-Wan said with a sigh, standing up from where he has been crouching. “It’s part of our Creed.” With that, he leapt over the downed ship in one smooth jump.

Rex swore and said something about never volunteering for a mission with this family again.

“Dad!” Korkie called after him.

“It’s fine, son. Stay there.” He could hear a string of choice Mando’a expletives coming from the other side of the ship, and then a rush of half whispered exchanges. He ignored it and came up beside Anakin.

“I am Mand’alor Obi-Wan Kenobi of House Kryze, Clan Kryze. You are interfering with a peaceful relief mission sponsored by the Council of Neutral Systems. We are happy to discuss suitable terms to continue our work,” he called, hands raised. Anakin looked at him, nodded his head appreciatively. “I’m blaming this on you if this goes poorly,” Obi-Wan said quietly to Anakin.

“I would expect nothing less,” Anakin said with a smirk.

There was a murmuring through the droids- if battle droids could murmur- and suddenly the tactical droid pushed through to front lines. 

“Your request to speak to our leader has been granted,” the droid said in it’s stiff, mechanical voice. It produced a handheld holoprojector and activated it. 

A tall, stately, bearded figure appeared. Anakin swore.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi. So good to finally speak with you,” he said.

“Count Dooku.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo.....that's how THAT story goes when the Duchess has school age children. Yikes.
> 
> You all are my favorites. Thank you thank you!


	26. We will fight so they can live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Lily fights for her life, those who love her fight to find answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely adore all of you, and am freaking out over the fact that some of you are even bringing my characters to life. Makes me want to cry. 
> 
> Check out Mablung17's drawings of Bo'ket (again, I am neither confirming or denying this ship, but I still love this!)- https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/mablung-art

_ 20 BBY _

Lily slipped into a coma overnight, as did many of the other children. Satine had broken then. Padme proved far better suited for comforting in this situation. Bo-Katan had certainly comforted comrades and friends who had died in combat. But comforting her estranged sister as her daughter lay fighting for her life was a completely foreign situation. 

So, she sat quietly, holding Lily’s hand, saying to herself every old Mando’a prayer for warriors that she could think of while the doctor talked about Lily’s current status and nurses came and went, checking the girl’s vitals or giving her more drugs to combat her symptoms. Tol'ket had taken up post at the door, feigning guard duty, but Bo was sure his loyalty and obvious love for this family pressed him to stay close. At one point, as Satine wept in Padme’s arms, she thought she heard a sniffle coming from his direction. She caught his eye, but he quickly glanced away, looking down. 

The next morning, Bo-Katan tried to go with Tol’ket to the school to find answers, wanting a task,  _ something  _ to do that felt productive, but he insisted on Padme accompanying him. The infernal man argued with her for a quarter of an hour in angry half whispers, before finally ushering her into a supply closest.

“I have no reason to feel like this, but I have a bad feeling about Almec lately,” he confessed, voice low, once the door slid close behind them. They stood so close she could feel his breath on her face.

“When will you learn to just  _ say  _ the big thing first?” she growled at him.

“When will you just shut up and do as I ask without arguing?” he growled back.

“I learned a while back not to just follow any man’s commands blindly.”

He looked like he’d been struck. He jerked back, inhaled a sharp breath. “Bo-Katan, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“Stop. Just stop. This is wasting time Lily does not have.” She pressed a hand to her forehead, took a deep breath. “What do you want me to do?”

He cleared his throat, suddenly awkward, trying to put distance between them in the cramped space. “Just...just keep an eye on him. He’s a slippery bastard.” He handed her a commlink. “It’s encrypted. In case anything comes up.”

He left then, sidling past her to slip out of the closet, and Bo took up his post at Lily’s door- close to Satine and the kid, but trying to feign some sort of inconspicuousness as the Prime Minister was escorted in.

Almec squirmed in the rigid, generic hospital waiting room chair that had been brought in for him. He was clearly uncomfortable with having an audience with the duchess as she sat at Lily’s bed side, the steady, ominous beeps of the machines monitoring the girl a constant background noise. One needed to be adaptable, Bo-Katan thought, to be a good Mandalorian. This man was not adapting well.

Satine, despite the long, emotional and stressful night, somehow still managed to look regal and elegant. Bo felt a little thrill of pride. Her sister may be a foolish pacifist, but Mando blood coursed through her veins all the same, and she  _ could  _ roll with the punches, be they real or figurative, unlike Almec.

“Our government needs to act quickly, Almec,” Satine was saying when Bo snapped out of her musings. Force, she was tired, too. She shook her head, shaking herself to focus.

“Of course, your grace. But what if it isn’t poison, though?” he asked, shifting stiffly, his eyes flicking to Lily’s all too still form in the bed.

“The children are being treated by some of the best doctors on Mandalore. They’re certain it is poison. It would be foolish to not follow their counsel,” Satine said, sitting straight and tall, making the bedside chair she sat in just as much a throne as the ridiculous  _ actual  _ throne in the palace.

“It could be Death Watch,” Almec said, a hand on his chin in thought.

Satine gasped in indignation. Bo-Katan was not so subtle with her indignation.

“ _ Excuse me _ ? Death Watch?” she asked, stepping from her post by the door. Satine raised a hand, as if to quiet Bo, but she wouldn’t have it. “That child’s father  _ commands  _ Death Watch.” 

“And that child’s father is not here,” Almec pointed out, a smug look on his face. Bo clenched her fist to avoid back handing him. “Besides, even if Death Watch has been brought to heel, there’s still the matter of the defectors.”

“Defectors who are either dead, ran away, or detained on Concordia,” Bo explained, biting her words out, stepping further into the room, tense and ready for a proper fight.

“Almec, I have to agree with the governor,” Satine said, giving up on quieting Bo and instead placating her with agreement. “It’s unwise to jump to such conclusions. We need more support from the government to find the actual source of this.”

“It seems you have already made strides to aid in the investigation,” he said, crooking an eyebrow up.

“The head of my personal house guard and my daughter-in-law went to make some personal inquiries.” Tol’ket and Padme and the  _ entirety _ of the house guard, Bo added in her head. But Almec didn’t need to know that. “They are not acting in the name of the Mandalorian government, Almec. They are concerned for a child they both care for a great deal. We  _ need  _ more help. We  _ must _ move swiftly. Children’s lives are at stake. Mando’ade children, Almec.”

“Hmm, yes.” Almec sighed, then stood. “I’ll have to speak with the ruling council on this matter, your grace.” He stood hastily, bowed stiffly, and walked out, giving Bo a hard glare as he passed. She willed herself not to punch him in the pointy nose. He didn’t even wait for Satine to excuse him. He wasn’t just an ass. He was a rude ass. She decided then that Tol’ket’s gut instinct was correct. 

Satine looked at Bo. “Is it just me, or did he show almost no concern for the children?”

Bo-Katan shook her head. “It is absolutely not just you. And he was awfully quick to lay blame at the feet of Death Watch.”

Satine nodded, relaxing into her chair, and turned to take Lily’s hand. “Yes. Even before recent events, I couldn’t imagine Death Watch doing something so…” She paused. Looked at Lily’s quiet face. “...so heinous.”

Bo moved quietly to the far side of Lily’s bed, taking her other hand. She looked at Lily, then at Satine. She looked so tired and broken. What must it be like to sit where she sat; a child dying before her eyes, a husband that no one could reach, and a government too slow and sluggish to react the way they should to  _ dying  _ children? “No. Even at our worst, I swear, Satine, poisoning an entire school would not have been anything we would have considered.” She thought of Ursa and Sabine. They were other parents in their ranks, too. If Vizsla had suggested such a thing, Ursa would have murdered Vizsla herself, and would have help in doing it.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Satine said quietly, before turning her attention to Lily, fussing over her already tidy bedding, straightening her pillows, smoothing her hair. The conversation was over. Bo squeezed Lily’s hand, said a warrior prayer for her in her head, and returned to stand by the door, keeping watch.

* * *

An hour later, commotion in the hall outside Lily’s room stirred Bo-Katan from her quiet contemplation as she stood watch over Satine and Lily. She turned to stand in the door and watched as doctors and nurses rushed around, talking excitedly, barking orders.

“What’s going on?” Satine’s sleepy voice came from behind her. Bo turned. Satine, finally succumbing to exhaustion shortly after their conversation had ended, had fallen asleep with her head resting on Lily’s bed. Bo had draped a blanket over her shoulders- the room was far too cold to be at all comfortable for anyone. She sat up now, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “What is it?” Satine asked again.

“I’m not sure,” Bo replied, turning back toward the hall. As she was about to step out to find someone to ask, she was pushed roughly aside by the doctor, a nurse hot on his heels.

“Slabin, your grace. It’s slabin that’s making them sick,” he said, relief thick in his voice. 

“Slabin?” Bo said, trailing behind him to hover a few steps from Lily’s bed. “That’s not toxic.”

Satine stood, blanket still around her shoulders, and moved to the foot of Lily’s bed as the doctor and nurse began administering something to Lily via her IV drip. “Normally, it isn’t. But mixed in high enough amounts with the tea the children were drinking, it is.” He noted something on a datapad, double checked his work, then gave Lily’s arm a gentle, affectionate squeeze. “I won’t be surprised to see her waking up within a few hours,” he said, smiling at Satine.

“What tea were they drinking?” Satine asked. “They only drink fresh water at school. That’s all that’s provided.”

“They’re allowed an outside beverage, yes?” She nodded. “It was in a bottled tea popular among the students. We believe they were using slabin to stretch the tea somehow.”

Satine glanced at Bo. “Black market?” 

Bo frowned, but nodded. “Possibly.”

The doctor patted Satine’s hand paternally as he passed her, making his way out of the room. “Well, the good news is we know how to treat them.” He bowed his head. “Forgive me, your grace, but others need me now. The nurses can help if anything changes.” With that, he rushed out the door.

Satine stood for a moment longer, staring down at Lily. Her eyes were far away, not really focusing on the form of her daughter. She looked like she was lost deep in thought, perhaps her worry turning from her daughter to the rest of her family, still unaccounted for on a distant, war torn planet. She sighed, and moved, sitting heavily in the chair. “Thank the stars,” she whispered, eyes glued on Lily’s face.

Bo moved to stand quietly behind her, feeling gratitude herself. She’d worked too hard for this little warrior to be brought down by a stupid criminal’s chemistry error. “ _ Ib’tuur jatne ash’ad kyr’amur,”  _ she said softly, more to herself, possibly to their warrior ancestors, than to Satine.

Much to Bo’s shock, Satine chuckled, but didn’t turn. “Bo, you are so kriffing morbid.”

Bo couldn’t help but laugh, too. “It’s true, though. These children will go on to fight another day.” Without thinking, she laid a hand on Satine’s shoulder. 

Satine tensed ever so slightly at the weight of her hand, but instantly relaxed. Gently, slowly, as if not to frighten a wild animal, she reached up, wrapping her fingers around Bo’s hand, and squeezed. “Hopefully not to fight. But they will  _ live.  _ That  _ I  _ will fight for.”

“We.  _ We _ will fight so they can live,” Bo said, squeezing Satine’s hand back.

The moment came to a crashing end as Padme and Tol’ket rushed in. Bo pulled her hand quickly away, stepping back away from Satine.

“How is she?” Padme asked, moving swiftly to Lily’s side.

Satine took a deep breath. “Nothing has changed, but she’s only just received the treatment.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Padme said, sighing in relief as she squeezed Lily’s hand.

“Thank you, both, for tracking down the answer,” Satine said, turning to address Tol’ket. 

He nodded. “Of course, your grace. But I’m afraid there’s still the matter of  _ why _ the children were poisoned.”

“Yes, there is that,” Satine said, looking pensive as she turned back to staring at Lily.

“Bo-Katan, are you ready?” Tol’ket asked.

“Ready for what?” she asked, turning to face him.

“We have things to….take care of.” She needed no interpretation of that. She smirked at him. He returned it, his eyes practically gleaming with anticipation. 

“What about Padme? You seem to be a good team,” Bo asked, looking over to Padme. 

“I have to speak with the Jedi Council again. They may have an update on the boys’ whereabouts and why we can’t reach them,” Padme explained.

“Besides,” Tol’ket said, still smirking, “you may be better suited for what’s next.” Satine whirled around in her chair then and Tol’ket’s smirk instantly disappeared. 

“Tol’ket…” she said, a note of warning in her voice.

He held his hands up, placating. “We just have people to speak with, your grace. People who will most likely be more open with fellow Mando’ade than with an outsider.” He turned quickly to Padme. “No offense, senator.”

She smiled. “None taken. I’m sure you’re right.”

He gave her a curt nod and turned to leave. “Let’s go, Bo-Katan.”

Bo bristled at the barked order, but grabbed her helmet and followed the man out. “Where are we going?”

“Shipping company to pay a visit to a guy called Siddiq,” he growled. Now that he was out of sight of Satine and Padme, his features had grown hard, his posture rigid. “The school’s superintendent was skimming money off the  _ osik  _ those kids were drinking. He says this guy is who he got it from.”

Bo hummed in understanding as she stepped into the speeder parked haphazardly outside the hospital’s main entrance. They rode in silence for a few minutes, an odd sort of tension building between them that Bo couldn’t quite understand. Until Tol’ket spoke.

“Listen, Bo-Katan, about what I said this morning-”

“Don’t.”

“No, listen, ok?” he growled. “I  _ am  _ sorry. You frustrate me to no end, and it slipped out and, considering your past-”

“Tol’ket, don’t,” she muttered between clenched teeth.

He was too bullheaded to listen. “I know we’ve gotten off to a rough start, but you prove yourself day in, and day out.  _ Mandokarla,  _ and all _.  _ You deserve better than what you got in the past, and I am sorry if, even for a second, I made you think I would treat you like  _ he  _ treated you.” He paused for a moment, sliding the speeder into a new traffic lane. “I know all of this-” he waved a hand in the air, indicating the grand  _ this  _ that her life had become so suddenly “-must be difficult for you, but you should know I respect that absolute hell out of you.” He glanced over at her. “Alright?”

Bo looked down at her hands, willing herself not to squirm under the sudden heaviness in the speeder. This was not what she expected, at all. She did not have the capacity to deal with things like this right now. She whispered a string of expletives, before glancing up at him. “Alright.”

He nodded once. “Right.” He guided the speeder into a spot in front of their destination. “Here we are. Let’s go make friends with Mr. Siddiq.”

* * *

“It’s unfortunate we have to meet again under such circumstances, Obi-Wan,” Dooku’s flickering image said.

Anakin swung his head hard around to his father. “ _ Again _ ?” he asked in shock.

“Count Dooku was Qui-Gon’s master, Anakin. Master Yoda trained Dooku,” Obi-Wan explained simply.

“What?!” 

“You haven’t informed your children of their lineage, Obi-Wan?” Dooku asked, looking taken aback.

“They’re  _ not  _ Jedi, Dooku. I’m their  _ father _ , not their master. It hasn’t come up.”

Anakin realized his mouth was hanging open. He snapped it shut. “Maybe it should have come up, say, when Merrik tried to kidnap  _ our mother,  _ to take to Dooku?”

“Count Dooku left the Order and turned to the Dark Side, Anakin. He has no bearing now on your education,” Obi-Wan explained.

Anakin felt incredulous. “Come on, Dad. You don’t think that  _ might  _ have been important knowledge to have?”

Dooku sighed. “We can continue this discussion when you both are my honored guests aboard my ship.”

Obi-Wan smiled, chuckled, and shook his head good naturedly, entirely too calm for the situation. Anakin emulated him, feeding off his endless well of calm through the Force. “Oh no, Count. Thank you for the offer, but we have work to do here.” He gestured behind them, toward the refugee camp they had  _ tried  _ to set up, before the droids had attacked.

Dooku smiled malevolently. “I’m afraid I must insist.” He turned to the tactical droid. “Take their weapons and bring them to me at once.”

Suddenly, a dozen blasters were aimed at their heads, and the tactical droid ripped their lightsabers and blasters away. 

Obi-Wan somehow stayed calm. “Count Dooku, I’m afraid you’re making a terrible mistake.”

“Oh no, dear Obi-Wan, I know  _ exactly  _ what I’m doing.” 

The holo blinked off as binders were clamped to their wrists. Anakin looked over at his father. “Am I still getting blamed for this?”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Oh, Anakin. Most certainly.”

Blasters jammed into their backs, they were marched onto a waiting shuttle. And, in the distance, Anakin heard Korkie’s shouts of fear, calling after he and their father. Anakin had a  _ bad _ feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an unruly chapter and instead of putting it to bed, shiny and edited how I liked it last night, ready for today, it was still arguing with me well into the night.
> 
> I was trying to avoid another massive chunk of chapters to write this arc out, but we're well on our way to another. Clearly, we're diverging from canon a great deal more here than the last arc, but I think it will all be very satisfying in the end!
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
>  Ib’tuur jatne ash’ad kyr’amur- "Today is a good day for someone else to die." I KNEW this would eventually make it in, because I love it (It's so....Mando). But I totally wasn't expecting Bo to whip it out in her niece's hospital room. But it felt so very Bo-Katan.   
> Mandokarla- "You've got the right stuff." Considering he was calling her "dar'manda" not terribly long ago, well, people grow and change, right?
> 
> Re: Dooku and Obi-Wan....I can never quite figure out if Obi-Wan actually knew Dooku in canon prior to AOTC. I may be muddling too many fanfics and half understood Legends stuff to really know. But, hey, here's my "It's an AU" card. They totally met at some point in Obi-Wan's padawanship in this version. 
> 
> You all are my favorites!!! Thank you thank you!


	27. Gratitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of uncertainty and fear, Satine finds a moment of gratitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! 
> 
> Here's the thing, the chapter I was HOPING to share today turned into a buggar, and, despite having a good road map for it, it was being a bear to actually write (it's falling into place now). Then, I was expected to actually participate in real life and do responsible things the last couple of days, which ate into my writing time (which was sorely needed). I had intended on buckling down last night and getting the chapter I wanted done and polished. Then the news hit of the passing on of a real life warrior, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and, well, writing was put off for the night.
> 
> But, this morning I realized that part of the chapter intended was mostly finished, and doesn't need any of the rest of the chapter to hold it up, so I pulled it out, finished it, tidied it up, and here we are. And it's FLUFFY (again, fluffy for me. I feel my fluff isn't so fluffy). And god knows I needed to write (and read) some fluffy today! I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
> 
> Honestly, it's for the best, since this ended up way longer than I thought it would (I was thinking 800+/- words. It's 1500). 
> 
> I have read all your comments and will make time to respond! I have a zoom wedding to get ready for this afternoon (life in 2020, amirite?) so I'm on a time crunch, but, as always, you all are the sweetest and I adore you. You are a bright spot in a dark and crazy world.

_ 20 BBY _

Satine sat by Lily’s bed, trying to read reports from the ruling council and her cabinet. The room was quiet and empty, save for Lily’s favorite music playing softly, and the slow, steady consistent beep of machines. Padme, feeling restless after her useless talk with the Jedi, had strong armed a Protector into taking her in search of decent food for her and Satine. Bo-Katan and Tol’ket were off hunting down the source of the tainted tea that had poisoned the children. So, she sat alone with her thoughts for the first time in what seemed ages.

And her thoughts were getting the better of her. Almec’s detachment from the sick children weighed heavily on her mind. He had always been calm and measured. It was what had made him a good choice to be Prime Minister for a people prone to hot tempers. 

But this detachment seemed to far surpass his normal coolness. He seemed as if he was trying to sidestep around the issue; placing blame, obfuscating his role by passing the task of moving to investigate the mass poisoning to the ruling council. 

Satine also knew was still feeling highly paranoid and untrusting of just about anyone who wasn’t her family and her Protectors, after the fiasco on Coruscant. So, she told herself, she was probably just being overly sensitive. Looking for trouble where none existed.

Having a Force sensitive husband around to read the room would be nice right about now, though, she also thought. Obi-Wan couldn’t read minds, but he  _ could  _ pick up subtleties that were lost on Satine. 

Thinking of Obi-Wan turned her thoughts to him and their sons, and the gnawing worry of their radio silence. They  _ were  _ in the far Outer Rim, she knew. And they  _ were  _ on some poor, war torn, fairly primitive planet. It was most likely just those things making communications troublesome. It  _ had  _ to be that. She really hoped it was just that.

She realized she’d been staring at the datapad for so long that the words had blurred and jumbled and swam on the screen. She blinked quickly and looked up, trying to redirect her thoughts before attempting again to get through this report on orbital traffic safety.

She looked up just in time to see the little body in the bed next to her stir ever so slightly. Her eyes moved quickly to Lily’s face to see the girl’s eyes fluttered then slowly opened. They were unfocused at first, but, quick as lightning, they laser focused on Satine’s face- a remarkable skill Lily had had since she was an infant. She’d never been one to slowly wake. Lily had always had two functions- asleep, or full speed. Apparently, a brief but terrifying bout of unconsciousness did little to affect that.

“Mum,” Lily croaked. “What the hell?”

Relief washed over Satine. Seeing Lily’s blue eyes and hearing her voice completely chased away Satine’s knee jerk instinct to school the girl on her rough language. 

“Hello there, little love.” She caressed Lily’s cheek. “How do you feel?”

Lily shifted uncomfortably, then seemed to decide that still was a better option. “Awful. Thirsty.” She licked her dry lips.

Satine pursed her lips. “I imagine.” She leaned over and kissed Lily’s forehead, relieved to feel the fire that had raged through her body gone. “We’ll call the nurse, see what we can do for that.”

Satine pushed the call button, then settled down on the edge of the bed, taking Lily’s hand. “You gave me quite the fright, Lily.”

“Is Buir back yet?” Lily asked, casting her eyes to the door, only to see the shoulders of two Protectors standing guard.

Satine swallowed the lump that suddenly had formed in her throat. “Not yet, love. It’s a bit of a trip,” she lied. She hated lying to her children. She made it a point not to. But telling her youngest, only minutes from waking from unconsciousness, that her father was unreachable on a war torn planet half a galaxy away didn’t seem the wisest move.

Lily gave her a doubtful look, and Satine silently cursed Obi-Wan’s genes for making her children far too perspective. The nurse saved her from the interrogation she knew was on Lily’s lips.

“Ahh, you are a happy sight, Lily!” the nurse exclaimed as he entered the room. He handed her a small cup. “Ice chips, young one. You must go very slow with them. Savor them and make them last.” He smiled, then moved to check monitors and machines. “Duchess, she’s to take nothing by mouth other than small amounts of water until morning,” he explained, working while he addressed Satine. “The doctor will want to run some scans on her digestive tract before she starts taking anything more serious.”

Lily somehow grew even more pale and shrunk back into the bed. “No, no, no. Please no more tests!” Satine cursed Obi-Wan’s genes again, and, once again, pushed down how desperately she wished he was here. Despite his obnoxious distaste for doctors, healers, and medical treatments, he was far better at wrangling Lily when  _ she  _ needed them.

“Sorry, Lily,” the nurse said, patting her arm lovingly. “If you ever want to eat actual food again, we have to make sure your stomach can handle it.”

Lily dramatically flung her head away from him and Satine. “ _ Haar’chak! _ ” she swore under her breath. The nurse’s eyebrows practically met his hairline. 

“Lily Bo,” Satine hissed, then smiled sheepishly at the nurse. “The plight of having two older brothers. I’m afraid our vocabulary can be a bit rough, at times, thanks to them,” she said by way of explanation. The nurse smirked and nodded in understanding. 

“Well, Lily, my work is done here for now. Dr. Rhys will see you soon.” He bowed politely to Satine and moved toward the door, calling over his shoulder, “Make those ice chips last!”

Satine helped Lily sit up a bit and stacked a pile of pillows behind her, marveling the whole time at how quickly Lily seemed to be bouncing back.

Between crunches, Lily began her litany of questions, thankfully leaving out any more she may have regarding the whereabouts of her father. “How are the other kids?”

“Most are about the same as you, I believe. Some a bit better,” she lied again. Two of Lily’s classmates, one a friend, had died early in the morning. Lily didn’t need to know that. Lily again looked a bit skeptical at her mother’s answer, but chose to ignore it.

“Is Padme still here?”

Satine smiled. “Padme wouldn’t leave with you so sick unless it was an absolute emergency for the Republic, my love. She’s out getting her and I something to eat.” Lily made a face. “Which we won’t eat in front of you,” Satine amended. Lily nodded appreciatively and crunched contently on more ice chips. 

“And Ba’vodu?”

Satine was still coming to terms with how quickly Lily had taken to Bo-Katan. The boys were accepting of the woman, but held her at arm’s length, which probably suited Bo just fine. But Lily was drawn to her sister like a moth to a flame, and Bo, in turn, seemed to be pulled in Lily’s charismatic gravitational pull. Satine wasn’t sure what kind of influence Bo-Katan would have on Lily, already so wild and strong willed. But, then again, Lily spent her life surrounded by men.  _ Good _ men.  _ Wonderful _ men. But, men all the same. Another female role model was probably not a bad thing. She hoped.

“We found out that the tea you children drank at school made you sick,” Satine explained. “Someone poisoned it, we’re not sure if by accident or on purpose. Bo-Katan and Tol’ket are off looking into it.”

Lily smirked around her ice chips. “That won’t end well for the bad guys.”

“Lily!” Satine sent a prayer to the Force that she would have the strength to manage this child. 

Lily raised her eyebrows. “What? Mum, you can’t really think Bo and Tol’ket are just going to peacefully arrest a bunch of bad guys who poisoned a bunch of kids?” Lily asked, yawning ferociously, and leaned back into her nest of pillows.

Lily was right. Satine knew Bo wouldn’t hesitate to make anyone they might find physically pay for this atrocity brought against Mando’ade children, and Tol’ket, bless the man, wouldn’t hesitate to follow her into the fray. And Satine knew she should care. She  _ should  _ be disgusted. She  _ should  _ comm them both and tell them that there shouldn’t be a mark on anyone they brought in. But she didn’t. Not while she sat here in a hospital watching her youngest child’s eyes grow heavy with fatigue. Not after only hours earlier fearing she may lose this precious hellion of hers. Not after children had died. She couldn’t bring herself to care. Let Bo-Katan and Tol’ket bring down righteous Mando anger on those who did this. It was only right.

She took the cup of ice, now mostly water, from Lily, and reclined the bed back. “Sleep, Lily. Rest will help you heal faster.”

Lily, for once in her life, didn’t argue. She curled up on her side contently and drifted off quickly. Satine straightened the blankets over her and ran a hand over her hair, saying an old Mando’a prayer of gratitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little wholesome mother-daughter bonding over ice chips. Complete fluff (minus Satine's anxious inner thoughts). 
> 
> Next chapter (which may be tomorrow, but possibly Monday), you can expect more from our favorite father-son idiot duo, Bo'Ket Detective Agency, and maybe a little wholesome Ahsoka and Korkie content.....????
> 
> **Notorious RBG, Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. (Not gone, merely marching far away).**


	28. Partnership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Partnerships are forged and strengthened as the Kryze-Kenobi family and their allies face challenges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a new perspective today!! I hadn't really planned on adding any more, but they needed to tell their side of things, and I'm glad I gave them the oppurtunity.
> 
> Canon is a loose framework. "This is an AU" cards are being played all over the place. Enjoy!!!
> 
> Many, many thanks to my favorite beings. You all are just the best.

_ 20 BBY _

Had Ahsoka not grabbed Korkie by his belt and roughly dragged him back down between her and Rex, he would have been over the downed ship and racing to his father and brother's aid in a heartbeat. He said as much.

"And you would be dead or captured, just like those idiots," Rex growled, gesturing in frustration back over the hull.

"We have to do something!" he shouted, fear and adrenaline ripping through him like lightning.

"We will," Ahsoka said soothingly, her hand on his shoulder, forcing him to be still. "Korkie, you need to breathe," she reminded him. He felt like a small child again, being calmed by his father when he let his emotions get the better of him. He hated it, but she was right. He needed to be calm. Fear would get him killed. Would get Dad and Anakin killed. 

He closed his eyes and breathed, and Ahsoka breathed with him, much like his father would do. He felt her signature, like a warm sunny day, felt her trying to guide him to settle and center quickly. He suffered a moment of embarrassment at losing his control, felt her brush of encouragement against his mind, then he plunged himself into the Force, letting it pull his mind back to center. Back to calm.

He opened his eyes and gave her a quick nod. She squeezed his shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. "Good." Then, turning to Rex, she seamlessly slipped into the role of veteran soldier. “We need to get the relief team safe, and we need to get a signal out to Master Plo.”

“What about my dad and brother?” Korkie asked, stomping down on his fear.

“We gotta get these civilians safe first, kid,” Rex said. “They’re a liability right now. What do you propose, Commander?”

Korkie would never get used to a grown man calling a girl his age “commander”. This whole experience was becoming so surreal he could laugh. He  _ would _ laugh if he wasn’t pinned down by a battalion of battle droids or if his father and brother had not just been abducted by the Separatist army.

Ahsoka looked around, sizing up their situation (Dire. Their situation was dire, Korkie thought). “If we can get back to one of the ships, we should be able to get a message out, right, Jesse?”

“It won’t be that easy, sir,” the trooper called Jesse said. “The atmosphere here has a lot of weird radiation. That’s what fried our comm system.”

Ahsoka’s brow wrinkled in thought. “So, that means we have to get out of the atmosphere,” she said, looking as if she was working her way through a complicated puzzle. 

“That’s right, sir,” Jesse confirmed.

“But if there are droids here, that means there’s ships up there,” Korkie said, pointing up. “They’ll blow us out of the sky.”

Ahsoka scratched thoughtfully at her chin. “There’s two ships. We can put everyone on the frigate, and use Anakin’s ship as a decoy.”

“You’re going to use Anakin’s ship as a decoy? He’s not going to be very happy about that,” Korkie said skeptically.

“Would he rather lose a ship, or stay Dooku’s prisoner?” Ahsoka asked, smirking at him. 

Korkie rolled his eyes. “Right, fine, ok. But someone has to fly it. And it’s essentially unarmed.”

Ahsoka smiled mysteriously. Rex pulled his helmet off and gave her a stern look. “You aren’t thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you, Commander?”

She shrugged, looking nonchalant. “Why not? It’s worked before."

_ “Before _ ,” Rex growled, “we had a fleet of starfighters to cover your shebs.”

“What are we talking about?” Korkie barked.

“I’ll fly Anakin’s ship, draw their attention and fire while the frigate breaks atmosphere, gets away, and makes the call for help,” she explained, as if it was as simple as a walk in the gardens. “I’ll jump in the shuttle, or, at worst, an escape pod, and just be part of the debris field when they destroy it. I can float safely away and get picked up either by you guys, or whatever rescue comes our way. Simple.”

“ _ Simple,”  _ Korkie mocked. “You’re crazy.”

Rex laughed. “All Jedi are crazy, kid. And, apparently, non-Jedi,” he gestured back over his shoulder where his dad and Anakin had once been.

Korkie scowled, and scuffed his boot in the sand deep in thought. This was foolhardy on the grandest of scales, but these two seemed to know what they were talking about. Anakin trusted them both. He’d spoken highly of Captain Rex after their skirmish on Christophsis, and Korkie had felt an immediate connection with Ahsoka when they met at Anakin and Padme’s wedding. But this was crazy. Complete insanity.

He looked at Ahsoka. “I’m going with you.”

“What?” Ahsoka and Rex shouted in unison.

“The ship has a laser canon, but it’s basically just for busting up space trash.  _ But  _ you need a second hand to operate it. It’s an absolute  _ di’kut _ design, but the ship was never meant for any sort of dog fight.” Korkie felt a little thrill of pride when he realized Ahsoka and Rex were listening to him intently, like he actually knew what he was talking about. “If we go on the offensive and  _ attack,  _ that will draw them to us quicker. It’s Anakin’s ship, and he gets bored easily, so it’s heavily modified. It handles great. How good a pilot are you?”

Ahsoka crossed her arms and grinned cockily. “I’m a great pilot.”

“Good. If you can keep us alive, we can draw them away. Simple,” he said, shrugging, throwing Ahsoka’s word back at her. “And then instead of floating away in the debris, we board Dooku’s ship.”

“Now who’s the crazy one?” Rex groaned. “I’m supposed to be protecting you, kid.”

Korkie snorted. “Two out of three of us just got themselves captured. Hard to protect those who are unwilling to be protected.”

Ahsoka shook her head. Rex chuckled. “Right, then. Let’s load up.” The man smashed his helmet on his head, and walked away, barking orders to the other troopers.

Ahsoka studied Korkie. “Are you sure about this, Kork?”

“No, but what else am I going to do?”

She patted him on the back, and they followed after Rex, taking their lightsabers into their hands, ready to cover the retreating relief workers. “This will be no big deal. Trust your instincts, and we’ll be fine,” Ahsoka said, sounding far more confident in his plan than Korkie felt. 

His instincts had never been tested quite like this before. He hoped they were as good as he needed them to be.

* * *

Tol'ket was still chuckling as they climbed back in the speeder after "talking" with Siddiq.

"I have never seen someone change their tune quite so quickly, Bo-Katan. You scared the  _ osik _ out of him." 

Bo settled into her seat and pulled her helmet off. "Good. That was what I was going for." 

Tol'ket merged the speeder into traffic, heading in the direction of the dock Siddiq had so graciously provided once Bo had rattled his memory for him. Tol’ket seemed practically gleeful, an unusual look for such a taciturn man. “Why are you in such a good mood?” Bo asked, giving him a sidelong look.

He gave a slight, crooked smile. “It’s ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous?”

He sighed, and rubbed a hand through his dark hair. “I’m...I’m kinda having fun.”

Bo barked a derisive laugh. “This is  _ fun  _ for you?”

He looked a bit sheepish- rightfully so, Bo thought- as he kept his eyes ahead, weaving the speeder quickly through traffic. “Don’t get me wrong here, ok? It is an honor of the highest order to serve the Duchess and Mand’alor. I love them and those damn kids.” He ventured another glance at her, winced a little at the skeptical look she was giving him. “But, to be completely honest, it’s rarely exciting, or it hasn’t been until recently.” He flashed her a meaningful look. “ _ This,”  _ he gestured toward the docks coming into view. “This is exciting, Bo-Katan.”

She laughed, with a bit more legitimate humor this time. “Well, alright. I’m glad you’re entertained.”

If she were honest, however, she  _ had  _ enjoyed getting Siddiq to talk. He had been a smarmy, cocky bastard and his casual overconfidence had felt too familiar to Bo-Katan, in an itchy, angry sort of way. When he’d been hesitant to give them the information they were after, she’d jumped onto his desk, kicked his caf cup into his face, and pulled both blasters on him. 

He’d talked instantly then. 

With the information the bastard has provided, they pulled into the shipping docks, quickly making their way to the dock where Siddiq had told them the latest shipment of the tainted tea would be arriving. 

Bo-Katan made to march right up to the dock, ready to meet the incoming ship head on, but Tol-ket grabbed her and dragged her behind a stack of crates. Wrenching her arm out of his grasp, she scowled at him. Even with her helmet on he must have read her expression. He held up an apologetic hand.

"Sorry, sorry. Relax," he placated. "Let's just observe first, alright?"

Bo sighed heavily, not willing to admit he was right. She'd rather meet the incoming crew guns blazing, but he was right. They needed evidence. "Fine."

He moved so she could settle down next to him, and watched as a ship approached and docked.

Bo pulled down her rangefinder as the ship's ramp lowered. Tol'ket pulled out a set of macrobinoculars. 

"Moogans, alright," he said quietly in her ear. "And there's the kriffing tea." 

Crate after crate was unloaded. It was a long several minutes before an import inspector finally made his way to the ship from Mooga. A brief discussion was had between the inspector and what seemed to be the head Moogan, then a pile of credits was dumped into the outstretched palm of the inspector. He nodded, smiled, and turned to walk away.

"Fucking  _ shabuir!"  _ Bo growled.

"Did we just see him take a karking bribe?" Tol'ket asked, tone menacing. 

"We did. And I recorded it. Now I'm going to kill him," Bo said, flipping her rangefinder up and moving to push past Tol'ket. 

He went to put a hand out to stop her, pulled it back quickly. "Wait, Bo-Katan. Just wait." His tone was careful, measured, requesting more than ordering. She stopped and glared in the direction of the inspector while Tol’ket barked a series of orders into his commlink. He turned back to her. “OK. Let’s go, but let me take the lead.”

She kept her eyes on the retreating inspector and nodded, followed him as he took off at a jog after their target.

“Halt. You’re under arrest,” Tol’ket called as they caught up.

The man stopped, turned around. “What? I didn’t do anything.”

“We have witnessed you taking a bribe, a criminal offense against Mandalore,” Tol’ket explained. Bo stayed silent but glared at the man from inside her helmet, a hand on her blaster, daring him to do something stupid. 

The man scoffed, and went to move off. “You can’t prove that.”

Tol’ket grabbed the man’s arm to stop him. “We have a holo of you taking the bribe.” He flicked his eyes to Bo. She nodded, still silent.

The man went through a series of thoughts and emotions in a fraction of a second. His eyes went wide, then narrowed, and, finally, he wrinkled his face in anger, ripped his arm out of Tol’ket’s hand, and took off at a sprint.

“Son of a btich _!”  _ Tol’ket swore, taking off after the inspector. “Where the hell is my backup?” 

Bo didn’t follow, just raised and aimed a gauntlet, and, with a quick push of a control, a cable shot out, catching the runner by the ankles, and wrapping him up solidly. He went down with a heavy crash and a loud grunt as the air rushed out of his lungs. Tol’ket skidded to a stop, nearly tumbling over the entangled man. He looked over his shoulder back at Bo, smirked, then pulled out a pair of binders, and clapped them roughly on the man’s wrists, just as a police speeder arrived. 

Bo made her way to Tol’ket, reeling in the cable as she went. She overheard him as he pulled the cable free of the man’s ankles. “You’re lucky that’s all you got from her,  _ friend.  _ Last guy has second degree caf burns and probably needed to change his pants.” 

He turned to face her as a police officer dragged the man to the speeder. Holding the end of the cable, not allowing her to reel it fully back in, he stood close to her. She tugged at it, trying to pull it free, open the distance between them back up. He held tight for a moment, glanced at the short length in his hands, at her gauntlet, then to her. He flashed his crooked smile again. “See, Bo?  _ Fun.” _

* * *

It had been many years since Obi-Wan had been in a position anywhere remotely like the one he currently found himself in. So many years, in fact, he’d practically lived a whole other lifetime since. Even during the last year of his padawanship, the year he and Satine and Qui-Gon had been on the run, they had avoided capture. Sometimes just barely, but it  _ had _ been avoided.

No, the last time he’d been held captive by anyone, he had still been a teenager, possibly Korkie’s age. He couldn’t quite remember. This time, however, he had no master to come to his rescue. Just his eldest son beside him, who would  _ not  _ shut up, and two teenagers and a small squad of clone troopers on the planet surface below. 

He considered their odds, as they were marched through Dooku’s flagship. Ahsoka seemed a smart and capable padawan, despite her young age, and Anakin, despite his teasing, clearly thought highly of her. Korkie, the dear boy, was brilliant and quick witted, but was not a soldier. He was already destined to govern. He was no warrior, despite the old wives’ tale of his birth. He was a scholar. He was his mother’s son. 

This would be up to him and Anakin, it seemed, and, considering it was Anakin’s brilliant idea that got them here (though, Obi-Wan  _ had  _ followed his son. So, who’s the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who followed it, he thought), he felt it should perhaps fall mostly to himself, and not his well meaning but brash son, to find a way out.

However, surrounded by battle droids in the heart of a Separatist cruiser, a way out was not making itself apparent.

They were escorted onto a large observation deck where Count Dooku awaited them. A battle droid handed their lightsabers to the Count. He smiled, faced Obi-Wan and Anakin.

“So good of you to join me, gentlemen,” he said, sounding as if they’d joined him for cocktails at his palace on Serreno, and not abducted them off of a battlefield. 

“Not like you gave us much of a choice,” Anakin growled.

“Come now, dear boy, you all but walked yourself into my hands. I thought I was going to have to work much harder to get you.” The Count paused, taking a moment of reflection. “Though, I had hoped I would have all three of Duchess Kryze’s men, but young Korkie Kryze-Kenobi will certainly be joining you two soon enough, of that I am sure.”

It dawned on Obi-Wan that the attack had not been a random new wave of Separatist battle droids. It had been a calculated strike. To capture them. 

“What do you want with us, Dooku?” he asked, trying to keep his tone level and calm.

“Ahh, dear Obi-Wan, can’t you guess?” He paused, giving Obi-Wan a moment to hazard a guess. He remained quiet instead. “No? Well, your family foiled my attempts through Death Watch to take Mandalore. It is in a vitally strategic location in the galaxy, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

“So you kidnapped us because you’re a sore loser?” Anakin spat. Obi-Wan elbowed him as best he could with his hands in binders.

“Hush, Anakin,” he reprimanded. 

“I have taken you captive as a way to lure your dearest Duchess into relinquishing Mandalore to Separatist control,” Dooku explained.

“Ahh, you’re holding us for ransom. The ransom being Mandalore. I see,” Obi-Wan said, nodding in understanding. “I’m afraid that was foolish on your part, though, Dooku. Satine wouldn’t give you Mandalore for us.”

Anakin gave him a startled look, but Obi-Wan just shook his head. He wasn’t sure if he believed his own lie or not. Satine was ferocious about her family. But she had risked too much, lost too much for Mandalore. She could quite possibly, he thought, sacrifice him and Anakin. He would not put it past her.

“We shall soon find out, then, won’t we?” Dooku asked, smirking, pacing close to where they stood. “But it’s no matter. Even if your wife would be willing to sacrifice you, my master would be very satisfied knowing you are no longer in the way. You may not know it, Obi-Wan, but you are a thorn in my master’s side.”

“Your  _ master?”  _ Obi-Wan barked. Dooku had a master?

Dooku chuckled. “Oh yes, and he is pulling many strings in this war.” He stopped in front of Obi-Wan, leaned close. “What would you say if I told you a Sith Lord influenced hundreds, possibly thousands, in the Republic’s senate?”

Anakin stilled beside him, as if the thought chilled him to his bone. “I would say you’re mad,” Obi-Wan replied, forcing cocksuredness into his tone. Was Dooku mad, though? Was that a completely far fetched notion? His mind turned to the heavy, dark feeling that seemed to permeate the duracreet of Coruscant, like it never had before. He thought of the anxious, angry, fearful minds he encountered in the Senate building. He had shrugged it off, assuming it was due to the war, but now he wondered if there wasn’t something more.

His mind flashed to that strange moment with Maul, over a year ago. “ _ His plans, our plans….” _

“Who is your master, Dooku?” he asked, not certain he would receive any useful information.

Dooku smiled viciously and looked as if to speak when a droid, working at a station on the far side of the observation deck, called out.

“Count Dooku, the ship is under attack!” the droid explained, in the nasally, mechanical voice the standard battle droids seemed plagued with. 

The Count whirled. “What? Impossible. There is no way that squad could have gotten a message out, let alone help to arrive so soon!”

“It’s not a Republic ship, sir,” the droid replied, pointing out the expansive viewport.

The ship came into view.

“Oh stars,” Anakin breathed. “It’s the  _ Copaani Gaan!” _

Dooku, distracted, began barking orders at the droids. As the  _ Copaani Gaan  _ buzzed the observation deck, flying entirely too close for comfort and too handily for a ship of its type, Obi-Wan saw his moment.

“Now, Anakin!” he shouted. 

Anakin needed no explanation, no guidance. They both heaved the Force around them and ripped their lightsabers away from Dooku, the darksaber landing in Obi-Wan’s bound hands with a heavy, satisfying  _ thwack.  _ In an instant, they’d cut each other free of their binders and were waiting, ready as Dooku turned, engaging his own red, menacing lightsaber.

Obi-Wan took a calming breath. Dooku had been a masterful swordsman in the temple. Possibly the best. Obi-Wan had learned much from watching Dooku, as a young boy in the temple, before the Count had left the Order, but that was another lifetime. Obi-Wan was now a father, a husband, an advisor on a peaceful planet. He was not the peacekeeper-warrior he had once been. 

He pulled the Force to him, relinquished his trepidation to it, raised his heavy, crackling black blade and breathed.

“We take him together, Anakin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will confirm nor deny any ships you all set sail from this chapter. The story will make it clear eventually.


	29. Fiascos and Other Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kryze-Kenobi clan faces battles on three fronts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was SO MUCH FUN to write, so I hope it as much, if not more fun to read. 
> 
> Thank you for all the wonderful, sweet, and funny comments. You all are great.

_ 20 BBY _

It was a strange place for a debriefing.

Satine stood just outside the door of Lily’s hospital room, half turned so Lily, sleeping soundly, was within view. Bo-Katan, Tol’ket, Padme, and the captain of the police huddled around her, talking in hushed tones. Bo admired the hospital staff’s determination to pretend like their Duchess was not conducting a security meeting in their hallway. 

“Show it to me again,” the captain grumbled, still unbelieving that something as distasteful as bribery of a government official had occurred on his watch.

Bo pressed the playback on the holoprojector, the soundless image of a brief discussion followed by the exchange of credits played again.

“We don’t know that’s a bribe,” the captain said, as it concluded.

Tol’ket scoffed. “No? Nothing was signed or recorded, as it should have been, he didn’t look at a single crate, and the  _ di’kut  _ ran. Seems like a bribe to me.”

“I agree with Tol’ket,” Satine said, brows pinched together in concern, rubbing her forehead with an elegant hand. “I have a feeling this runs deeper than we would care to imagine.” She looked at Bo and Tol’ket. “Go to the warehouse, make all necessary arrests. We’ll see if we can root out the source of this corruption from there.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, the captain less eagerly.

They moved to disperse, the captain wandering down the hall talking into his commlink, when Padme’s own commlink went off. Activating it, the image of Mace Windu flickered to life in the palm of her hand. Bo stopped, curious to hear if there was news of Kenobi and the boys. Tol’ket hovered behind her, leaning in to get a good view.

“Master Windu,” Padme greeted. “Please tell me you have good news.”

“I have  _ news,  _ Senator Amidala. Some good. Some...less so.” 

“Alright. Please continue. The Duchess is here with me. We’re anxious to hear about our family.”

“Of course, Senator. Captain Rex and his squad were able to make contact with Master Plo Koon, who is not too far away. Apparently, the planet makes transmitting and receiving messages difficult from the surface, which is why we couldn't contact them. Master Plo is in route now to aid them.”

“That  _ is  _ good news,” Satine breathed. “But why are they in need of aid, Master Windu?”

He scowled and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. Bo-Katan almost felt a bit sorry for the Jedi, who seemed eternally stuck dealing with Mandalore. “Duchess, Senator, Obi-Wan and Anakin were captured by Count Dooku.”

Satine gasped, color washing from her face, but held firm. Padme breathed a quiet “oh no.” Bo discretely reached for Satine’s hand, offering support. Satine latched on to her, a vice grip around her fingers. “What of Korkie?” Satine asked.

“Korkie is with Padawan Tano.” There was a pregnant pause, the simple phrase clearly hiding much behind it. 

“They aren’t with the troopers, are they?” Padme asked, clearly accustomed to the Jedi and their way of telling only some of the truth.

Windu growled out a frustrated breath and crossed his arms across his chest. “From our understanding, Padawan Tano and Korkie launched some sort of rescue operation for Obi-Wan and Anakin.”

“ _ Kaysh mirsh solus,”  _ Tol’ket muttered from behind Bo. 

Bo nodded solemnly. “ _ Ori’haat,”  _ she muttered back. He was absolutely right. They were all idiots.

Satine flashed them both a look, and Tol’ket straightened up, his face a mask of composure. Bo just smirked.

“Please understand we’re doing all we can. I will keep you informed with our progress,” Windu said with a bow before the image flickering out.

Satine, who must have been holding her breath, released it, along with Bo’s hand, which Bo shook to push blood back into her finger tips. Then, to her shock, Satine let out an impressive string of expletives. 

“I can take ships to them, Satine,” Bo offered. “A few fighters, some commandos. We could be quite surgical, pull all three out of there.”

Satine gave her a small, sad smile, before setting to pacing, deep in thought. “No, Bo-Katan, as much as I would like to let you do that, Death Watch engaging the Separatists would guarantee that we would be dragged into the war.” She glanced in at Lily as she paced past her door. “Death Watch must only act in defense of Mandalore.”

“And rescuing our Mand’alor and his sons isn’t acting in defense?” Bo asked, working hard to keep from shouting in frustration.

Satine stopped in front of her, placed a hand on her shoulder. “Not like this. No.”

Padme shook her head. “Satine is right, Bo-Katan.  _ Any  _ action Mandalore takes would be seen as an act of aggression, I’m afraid.” Bo opened her mouth to argue, but Padme raised her hand to quiet her. “It  _ is  _ ridiculous, I know. But this is the plight of being a neutral system.”

Bo glanced to Tol’ket, who was scowling menacingly. He looked as eager to go and pull his Mand’alor out of there as she felt. Bo sighed. “Fine. Fine. I’ll stay here.” 

A small voice came from the room behind them. “Mum?” 

“I’m right here, love. I’ll be right there.” Satine whirled on the group huddled around her, face stern. “Not a  _ word  _ of this fiasco to Lily. Not a  _ single  _ word.” Everyone nodded. “If she asks, they’ve had ship issues, again. That kriffing ship of Anakin’s has broken down enough times for that to be believable.”

She turned then, her face instantly turning warm and soft- Bo made a mental note to ask her how she did that- and walked into the room. Bo wanted to follow, to see Lily now that she was awake, but Tol’ket gently tugged on her wrist. “Come, Bo. Let’s go distract ourselves.”

She took a deep breath, and followed him down the hall, toward the waiting captain. 

* * *

  
  


Bo-Katan knew things would not go smoothly- as if anything in her life ever did- when they pulled up to the warehouse and found guards, both in police uniforms, but with no discernable identifying marks. When asked by the captain to stand down and open the warehouse, they did the exact opposite, raising batons to attack the captain, only to be quickly, and rather impressively, subdued.

“Arrest them,” the captain growled as he moved to open the doors of the warehouse. 

The doors slid open to reveal more Moogans and humans, bent over work stations, mixing tea and what Bo assumed was the slabin. The group took one look at the party of police and Protectors and, with no hesitation, opened fire.

Well, ok, Bo thought. She could do a firefight. 

As she took aim, Tol’ket, close beside her, growled, “Stun, Bo-Katan, stun. We need them alive.” He jumped into the fray then, leaving Bo to fumble with her blasters. Did they even have a stun feature? She couldn’t recall a time she shot to stun.

Swearing under her breath, she moved from her cover and began providing covering fire for Tol’ket and the captain, who had pressed into the building behind shield wielding Protectors. She handily picked off three or four Moogans. From the corner of her eye, she caught Tol’ket roll to move to another vantage point behind his Protectors. A stray blaster bolt hit him, sending him sprawling backwards. He lay still, lifeless where he fell.

The sight pulled the breath from Bo’s lungs, the sudden blast of panic momentarily crippling her. She’d seen more than a few of her comrades struck down, but had never had to fight so hard to gain her concentration back. She inhaled deeply, and focused ahead, willing herself to ignore Tol’ket’s limp body as the shield carrying Protectors retreated, pulling him back with them. 

They needed better cover, they needed to get control of this before anyone else got taken down. She motioned toward the two Protectors nearest her, mimed pushing the shipping container they were huddled around into the door. They picked up on her idea instantly.

As they moved to push the heavy container into place, she scurried to Tol’ket’s prone body, pulling him out of the way. His eyes were closed, but his face screwed up in pain when she moved him, sending a wave of relief through her. Leaving him out of the line of fire, she returned to the firefight, re-energized and angry. 

The Protectors pushed the container into the warehouse, providing Bo and the police a moving wall of cover, while pinning the smugglers in. As more and more of the smugglers were picked off, stunned into submission, Bo could see the resigned looks among the survivors. They knew they were done. It was only a matter of time before they gave up and surrendered. 

“Keep going,” she shouted in encouragement. “We’ve got them!”

Another meter closed between them and the smugglers. The futility hit them like a wave, as one smuggler after another tossed down their blasters and raised their hands above their heads. The sudden silence rang in Bo’s ears.

The captain began barking orders at his forces, giving a quick nod of thanks to Bo as he passed her. She left him and his officers and the Protectors to arrest the bastards, and turned to go back to Tol’ket.

Except he wasn’t where she’d left him.

Fear shot through her for a moment. Who had taken him?

“I’m here,” came his voice, rough with pain, from her right. She turned and saw him slumped against a crate. He must have dragged himself from where she had left him, further out of the line of fire. He cradled his left arm, hanging limply from the shoulder. She noted, however, his blaster was primed and ready and in his hand, too. Ready to pick off anyone who tried to escape, she assumed. She crouched down next to him, pulled the blaster from his hand and put the safety on.

“Bastard,” she grumbled.

“I know.”

She motioned toward his pauldron, an unspoken request to remove it. He nodded, then hissed in pain as she unfastened it, pulling it away from his chest and shoulder. His jumpsuit was in charred tatters underneath, so she pulled her knife from her boot, and gingerly cut it open, away from his chest. It was not the worst blaster wound she’d seen, but it wasn’t pretty and it looked like it hurt like hell. She noted a smattering of other scars; jagged ones poorly closed up, most likely dealt with by field medics. Others neater, tidier, as if proper care had been taken in his healing. Tol’ket had clearly seen some things.

He glanced up at her, which shook her out of her thoughts. Digging through a pouch on her belt, she pulled out a bacta patch, flashed it at him like it was a prize. As she opened it up and placed it on his tattered skin she looked at him and smirked. “So, still having  _ fun,  _ my friend?”

* * *

  
  


Korkie wasn’t sure if he should be exhilarated or terrified by Ahsoka’s flying.

Korkie himself was no slouch in the pilot’s seat. It was hard to be anything  _ but  _ a good pilot with his genes. Despite his father’s aversion to flying, he was a gifted pilot, and the gift had been passed down. Added to that, growing up alongside Anakin, who was beyond extraordinary as a pilot, Korkie honed his natural skills and instincts even more, as they raced skyhoppers across the ravaged plains outside Sundari. 

But flying in combat was a different matter. And flying a ship meant to safely deliver goods and people from one planet to another through a dog fight with a Separatist cruiser looming in the background was, well, it was possibly idiotic beyond belief.

Ahsoka, however, seemed unbothered by the ridiculous situation they had put themselves in, and continued to press the  _ Copaani Gaan  _ far past any limit it may have had at one time. She zipped the lumbering ship around easily, weaving it in and out of enemy fire nearly as deftly as a starfighter would have handled. Her face was one of relaxed concentration. It was clear she felt comfortable in this environment, and was perfectly happy to just swing the awkward ship about.

Korkie did his part and hefted the unwieldy laser canon around, taking out what he could. The gun was not meant for fast moving enemy ships, but he was making it work, by sheer force, and also liberal use of the actual Force.

Ahsoka blasted the ship up the meridian of the cruiser, seeming to barely skim the surface. A tinny thud echoed through the hull of the  _ Copaani Gaan  _ as she raked down an antenna of some sort. 

She smirked. "Oops," she muttered, sarcastically.

It gave Korkie an idea. "Head up that way," he pointed toward the observation deck. "There's a communication array up there." 

"On it."

The ship zipped along the length of the cruiser. Korkie used the time wisely, firing shots as he could, hauling the sluggish, heavy cannon around, hitting droid fighters and anything that looked vaguely important on the cruiser. Ahsoka buzzed the transparasteel of the observation deck, the  _ Copaani Gaan's  _ belly barely scraping the top as it rocketed over the edge. Korkie fired two shots at the communications array, and it exploded in a bright bloom of fire and sparks. 

"That was too easy. No idea if they've already called for back up, but if they haven't, that should slow them down," Korkie said, swinging the heavy gun back around to take out another fighter. 

Ahsoka, face screwed up in concentration, didn't reply. Instead, she barrel rolled the ship back, and dove back down, buzzing the observation deck another time. She sent it on a straight path, back down the meridian of the ship, set some controls, and stood. 

"Come on. Time to ditch this ship." 

He fired a few more times at whatever he could hastily take aim at, then jumped out of the gunner's seat and ran after her. They rushed into the small shuttle, sealing hatches as the  _ Copaani Gaan  _ shuttered and jolted. They leapt into their respective seats in the cockpit, strapping in.

“We only have one shot at this,” Ahsoka said quietly, reaching for her controls. Korkie nodded, placing his hands on his controls, waiting for the right moment.

They breathed. Waited, listening for the Force’s call.

Korkie felt the call, more of a scream in the Force, a split second before Ahsoka shouted. “Now!” He hammered down on the control panel, releasing the magnetic couplings. Ahsoka brushed the thrusters, just enough to give them a push away. A moment later, the  _ Copaani Gaan  _ erupted into a ball of fire and debris, pushing them out more than sweeping them up in the destruction. All they saw for a long, few moments was fire, the little shuttle jolted and spun as it was buffeted by what was left of its mother ship. Then the fire cleared, and they were floating in a cloud of debris, hovering just off the port side of the Separatist cruiser.

They looked at each other in delight, but held their tongues. They were space trash. Space trash made no noise. The usual low, ambient hum naturally found on any ship was absent, as all of their systems were shut off or disable. No lights, no engines, no gravity, no life support. 

They floated adrift for a few minutes, waiting to see if anyone or anything would come out and check the debris field. No one did. But they waited another two minutes before Ahsoka cautiously engaged the thrusters. She inched them slowly toward an airlock on the cruiser, avoiding the engines to lessen the chance of detection.

It was mind numbingly slow going, especially as Korkie grew more and more anxious to get to his father and brother. He could  _ feel  _ them, but he kept himself pulled away from their signatures in the Force. Something was going on, they were both sharply focused, their minds keenly engaged with something else. Whatever  _ it  _ was, he didn’t want to distract them. His instincts told him the last thing they needed was distraction.

The shuttle finally reached the airlock. Korkie followed Ahoska to the hatch, smashed the controls to seal the two ships together, took up his lightsaber, and gave one last glance to Ahsoka. She quirked the corner of her lips up in a cocky half smile, and nodded. The hatch opened, they stepped out, and were immediately surrounded by battle droids.

“Shit,” Korkie groaned.

* * *

  
  


Dooku  _ was  _ good. Very good. 

Despite being well advanced in his years, he dueled like a man half his age, at least. He was strong and powerful, which, when coupled with his immense skill with a lightsaber, made him quite formidable. 

Obi-Wan had struggled the first few minutes, distracted as he was by Anakin’s ship buzzing the cruiser, causing chaos and confusion right outside the panoramic viewport. Then it exploded far off to the port side. His panic at the sight cost him a sharp, stinging burn to his side from Dooku, but he had quickly turned as the blade landed, turning what could have been a disaster into a painful but glancing blow. Seconds later, he felt a gentle brush of a familiar presence, and he knew that, somehow, Korkie was safe. He plunged into the Force with that, redoubling his efforts, centering his mind, the darksaber becoming light and pliant in his hands, as if a proper battle was what it needed. Of course. It was the lightsaber built by the leader of a warrior race.  _ Of course  _ it would feel its best in his hand now.

Anakin, for his part, was masterful. He thrust and parried and spun and lunged, elegant and graceful. The Force sung around him, aiding his natural, formidable skills. It was going well. Obi-Wan thought maybe they  _ could  _ subdue the Count. How ironic would it be if  _ Mandalore  _ ended the war, and quite by accident?

But then Dooku began ripping girders and beams and workstations from around them, wielding the Force like a vicious wrecking ball rather than a fine instrument. He flung things toward Obi-Wan and Anakin, which they sliced and cut or caught with the Force themselves, flinging it away. 

Then something, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what, collided with his skull. The impact and the pain knocked him off his feet, sending him to his hands and knees, the darksaber skittering away. His vision was spotty, and he instantly felt a wave of nausea. Everything was too loud but also far too quiet, as he struggled to focus on where Anakin was, where Dooku was. He touched a hand to his head, felt hot, wet. He looked at his fingers, through the black spots of his vision saw blood.

Not good.

He struggled to climb to his feet, but nausea overcame him again and the floor tilted under his feet. Was that from the obvious brain trauma he’d just endured, or was the ship under attack? He couldn’t tell. He just rolled to his back on the cold, durasteel floor, willing himself not to pass out or vomit. In the distance, he heard the hum of his darksaber again. Who had it? Who picked it up? He prayed to the Force that it was Anakin. The strange, discordant thought of Dooku becoming Mand’alor ran through his head and he almost laughed.

With a deep breath and a deeper pull on the Force to ground his failing body, Obi-Wan once again worked his way to his feet. Gingerly this time, slowly standing instead of trying to get upright quickly. He found his full height, lifted his eyes, gripping a piece of a workstation so the floor wouldn’t tilt under him again, and saw no Anakin. No Dooku. He turned slowly, and looked out the viewport. Was that a Republic Venerator? 

He turned back again, and, following the sounds of clashing lightsabers, hunted down his son and the Count, hoping he would not run into any hostiles as he went. 

Obi-Wan caught up with them in the hangar. His vision was clearing some, except for the blood he kept wiping out of his eye, but the constant rocking floor was not helping his situation. He was certain now the floor was rocking not because he was seriously concussed, but because the Republic was firing upon Dooku’s ship.

He watched in awe as Anakin wielded both his own lightsaber and the darksaber. No easy task, Obi-Wan had to imagine, as their weights and heft and feel were vastly different. But it was a sight to behold as the two blades sung, quite literally, in harmony. 

Obi-Wan shook himself from his admiration, and cast his eyes around for something, anything to do to help, only to see a whirl of green lightsabers coming from another corridor into the hangar, droid parts and sparks flying in their wake. It was Korkie and Ahsoka, dancing gracefully, seamlessly together, as if they’d rehearsed and practiced together for months. 

It was then that three things happened in quick, dramatic succession. A GAR gun ship barged into the hagar bay, sending more droids flying with its twin cannons. Korkie, finally finished cutting his way through battle droids, looked up and caught sight of Obi-Wan, shouting, “Dad!” And, finally, Anakin’s focus broke, his eyes darted in the direction of his brother’s voice, and Dooku hacked wildly down on Anakin’s dominant arm, cleanly severing it from his body.

The breath left Obi-Wan’s body at the sight, and he jolted toward his son while  _ pushing  _ a wall of power through the Force, blasting Dooku away from where Anakin had crumpled in agony. Korkie and Ahsoka took off running toward Anakin, too, lightsabers raised and ready to engage Dooku. At the same time, a squad of clone troopers, along with Plo Koon, lightsaber at the ready, leapt off the gun ship.

Dooku, the coward, took one look at his opposition, felt the quake of the ship as another blast rocked it, and saw fire erupt from a corridor, and decided he had had enough. He heaved a powerful shockwave through the Force, knocking everyone back. Obi-Wan, weak and wildly unsteady already, fell next to Anakin. Dooku leapt into the nearest starfighter and was out of the hangar and gone before anyone could even regain their barings.

Korkie and Ahsoka skidded to a stop next to where Anakin and Obi-Wan lay prone, chattering wildly as they fell to their knees to assess them. Obi-Wan was vaguely aware of Plo and Rex and another commander he didn’t know standing over them. He wasn’t sure if they were talking to him or not.

He turned his head toward Anakin. Anakin must have sensed it, as he turned slowly to him, his face screwed up, teeth clenched. “I’m sorry you’re having such a bad day, my bright one. But I am still blaming all of this on you.”

To his credit, Anakin’s shoulders did shake in a laugh before another wave of pain knocked the humor right out of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, this was a lot of fun to write, and, honestly, I hadn't thought it would tie up so well. But the pieces really fell into place nicely, which makes me happy, because there's some FUN conversations coming up that I am DYING to get to!
> 
> The Force wills Anakin to lose his hand. No matter the universe. Sorry, not sorry. 
> 
> My head canon is Ahsoka is an excellent pilot no matter who is her master. But also we know Plo is an excellent pilot, so it makes sense for her to still be one here.
> 
> Bracing myself for the Bo'ket comments, because I basically just threw gasoline on that ship fire, I am well aware.
> 
> Today's Mando'a lesson!  
> Kaysh mirsh solus- "He's an idiot." Literally, "his brain cells are lonely." (I love this. It should be on the family crest).  
> Ori'haat- "It's the truth, I swear- no bull." I took some liberties with this one. Bo says it to Tol'ket like "right on," "you can say that again," or "You're totally right." Or, since it's Bo and Tol'ket, it would probably be more accurately translated to "No shit, Sherlock."


	30. Haryc B'aalyc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some reunions and some conclusions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***MINOR CONTENT WARNING*** for vague mentions of illicit drug use as well as abusive relationships. They are tied together. If you would like to skip that part, it starts at "She growled in frustration..." and you can pick back up at "Tol'ket studied her..." I'll give you a safe synopsis in the notes below.
> 
> Write an AU, she told herself. It'll be fun, she told herself. Here she is, on chapter THIRTY. I didn't expect this. Clearly my roughly laid road map for this story didn't account for some things. I AM having fun, though, and a lot of my fun stems from all of your great comments and enthusiasm! So thanks!!
> 
> This chapter is....long. I re-read it multiple times, certain I could trim it down (I did....200 hundred words). But I love everything that is in it, and while it isn't the raucous, action packed chapter like the last one, Kryze-Kenobi family interactions are ALWAYS fun to write and, judging by the comments, to read.
> 
> Big old "it's an AU" card being played here. I'll give my very strong opinions on canon in the notes below!
> 
> Thanks as always, you amazing beings!!!

_ 20 BBY _

Satine paced the hall outside of Lily’s room. She had received word a short time earlier that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Korkie were back on Mandalore, headed for the hospital, and she was anxious to lay her eyes on them all.

She had spoken to Obi-Wan briefly the night before, while Anakin was in a bacta tank and Korkie slept. She had cried when he told her what had happened to Anakin, when she’d seen the bandage on Obi-Wan’s head. But they were alive. All three were alive and home and safe. Now all she wanted was to hold them...and then smack all three of them for being the massively reckless  _ di’kuts  _ they all were.

Tol’ket stepped out of the empty room next to Lily’s that had become the defacto office and meeting room for Satine’s government and the Protectors. He paused, arm in a sling, somehow juggling two cups of caf and a datapad, looking tired and worn down.

“Your grace, beg pardon, but he won’t get here faster by you pacing a trench in the floor.” He offered her a compassionate smile. She scowled at him.

“Shouldn’t you be at home resting, Tol’ket?” she asked, side stepping his gentle teasing.

His response was cut off by a shout from down the hall.

“Satine!”

Her heart leapt at the sight of Obi-Wan. He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, and dragged her flush to his body. The tangible feel of him, the weight of him, the heat of him, filled her soul with relief. She crashed her lips into his, uncaring about any audience they may have. He kissed her back eagerly. He tasted of bacta, his clothes smelled of ozone and sweat, dried blood stained his tunic. But he was home.

Tol’ket cleared his throat. “I’ll just…” He awkwardly slipped past them and into Lily’s room, where Bo-Katan was sitting with Lily.

“Ben, you’re a reckless idiot. And I love you,” she said when they broke apart, tears sliding down her cheeks.

He gently wiped them away. “Oh, I know I am. And I love you, too.”

She rested her head against his chest, happy to hear the sound of his heart, strong and vital. “Where are the boys?” 

“Anakin was taken directly to surgery. Korkie should be along any-”

“You two are in  _ public.  _ Please stop.”

“Any moment.” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and chuckled, then let go of Satine. Korkie was all but sauntering down the hall toward them, Padawan Tano by his side, Master Plo walking a few paces behind.

“Ahh, yes. One of my other delightfully reckless idiots.” She dragged him into a hug, happy he didn’t resist her in a fit of teenage independence. 

“I was just trying to save the other two idiots, Mum,” he said into her shoulder. 

“I commend your selflessness, my love. But it was still reckless,” she said as she pushed him gently away to inspect him. From what she understood, Korkie had fared the best in their adventures, save a few minor cuts and bruises. But, he had changed, she was sure of it. It may have only been a matter of a few days since they had left for this ill fated trip, but he seemed different. Taller, more sure of himself, more grounded. “I  _ am  _ proud of you, my love,” she said, more gently.

“As you should be, you grace,” Master Plo said from behind Korkie. “You have raised a fine young man who did well by both his Mandalorian and Jedi heritage.” The imposing Kel Dor placed a gentle hand on Korkie’s shoulder. “He and Ahsoka were brave, resourceful, and calm under pressure. I dare say Master Jinn would be very proud of his namesake.”

Korkie flushed at the praise, as Ahsoka elbowed him in the ribs, grinning. Satine fought back against the sting of more tears at the mention of Qui-Gon. “I do believe you are right, Master Plo,” she replied, smiling at the gentle Jedi.

She turned to Ahsoka, and pulled the young girl into a hug, as well. The girl stiffened at first- Satine had forgotten how non-demonstrative the Jedi were. How stiff and wooden Obi-Wan had been the first few times she had hugged him or grabbed his hand- but then Ahsoka took a breath and relaxed into the embrace, wrapping her arms around Satine’s middle. “And you, young Jedi. Thank  _ you  _ for being such a good friend to both my boys. It is good to know that they have someone covering their  _ shebs.” _

Korkie scoffed. “Mum, it was her idea to use Anakin’s ship as a decoy in the first place!”

Ahsoka turned her head to look at him, though she didn’t pull away from Satine. “But it was  _ your  _ idea to board Dooku’s ship.”

Korkie snapped his mouth shut and scowled at her.

Satine laughed, and gently pried Ahsoka loose. “No matter. It’s good to have allies in this galaxy, and I am thankful you are theirs. And I have no doubt, knowing Anakin and Korkie, that they are yours.  _ Aliit ori’shya tal’din, jetii’ika.” _

Ahoska looked to Korkie to translate. “She said family is more than blood,” he explained, grinning. Ahsoka smiled shyly, casting her eyes down to her feet.

Satine turned to Master Plo. “We would be honored if you both stayed and took a night or two to rest on Mandalore, Master Plo. You would be our most honored guests.”

Master Plo bowed graciously. “Your invitation is most kind and we are grateful for it and your friendship, but, unfortunately, we must return.”

Satine’s heart broke a little for both the kind master and his padawan, who should be going to school and making friends. Not fighting a war. She smiled sadly at him. “Of course, I understand, Master Jedi.”

Master Plo put his hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. “Come, little Soka. It’s time to say your goodbyes, for now.”

Ahsoka gave a sad little smile. “It was an honor to serve with your family, Mand’alor Kenobi,” she said, bowing stiffly to Obi-Wan, who rolled his eyes.

“Oh please, Ahoska,” he chuckled, squeezing her shoulder with fondness. “I don’t even like it when the people who are supposed to call me that use that title. Just call me Obi-Wan.”

Her smile brightened. “Alright, Obi-Wan.”

Satine couldn’t help herself, she pulled the girl back into another hug, which the girl accepted far more quickly this time. Satine felt a sudden compulsion to protect this child. “Ahsoka, if you  _ ever  _ need us, we are here,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper into the girl’s montral. “Do you understand?”

Ahsoka pulled back, and studied her face, glanced at Obi-Wan, who must have heard Satine, as he nodded encouragingly to Ahsoka. She nodded back. “Thank you, your grace.”

With a sigh, she turned to Korkie. “Next time we do something like that, we’re doing it in a proper fighter, you got that?” she asked him, a cocky half smile on her lips. 

Korkie laughed. “I’m flying next time,” he added as they grasped forearms. 

With that, the girl and her master moved back down the hallway. Satine sent up a warrior prayer for them both. Another one to the Force to protect them and guide them. 

She turned to Korkie and Obi-Wan. “I assume Padme is waiting for Anakin to come out of surgery?” 

Obi-Wan nodded. “She met him at the door.”

“Alright. I’m going down to join her.” She poked Obi-Wan in the chest. “ _ You  _ go in there and see your daughter. I am shocked she hasn’t ripped her IV lines out and barged out here yet. I think she’s felt your presence since you came out of hyperspace.” Obi-Wan chuckled as Satine kissed him again, sending Korkie into a fit of over dramatic teenage embarrassment. She smiled at him, and kissed his forehead. “My brave warrior. Stay out of trouble. Entertain your sister.”

She turned and left, ignoring his cries of injustice at the fact that he, a  _ hero,  _ had to entertain his baby sister.

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan and Korkie walked into an interesting tableau.

Bo-Katan was stretched out, in full beskar, drinking caf, next to Lily on the bed, with Lily snuggled under her arm, wearing, of all things, Bo’s helmet. A nearly untouched meal sat on a tray beside the bed as Lily fussed with the rangefinder on the helmet. Tol’ket had pulled a chair close to the bed, and was leaning in next to Bo, studying a datapad with her, left arm in a sling, caf in the right hand. It was almost….sweet. A word Obi-Wan never once would have thought he would apply to his fearsome sister-in-law.

The moment only lasted a second or two, before Lily saw him in the doorway. “Buir!” she shouted, the modulator amplifying her yell, as she tried to leap off the bed. Bo-Katan grabbed Lily by the back of her night shirt and hauled her back down into the pillows, saving the girl from ripping her IV lines out, as Satine had predicted.

“We’ve talked about that, Lily,” Bo growled. She kept a hand on the girl’s shoulder as she got up, pulling the helmet free of Lily’s head. “Glad to see you’re well, Kenobi,” she said to Obi-Wan as she offered a helping hand to Tol’ket, who grimaced in pain as he stood.

Obi-Wan smiled at her, as he filled the spot she had vacated, gathering Lily into his arms. Bo patted him on the shoulder, and walked outside, Tol’ket close behind. Korkie plopped down on the other side of the bed, inspected Lily’s dinner, and began eating her dessert. 

“Oh goodness, my little love, you’ve given us all quite the fright, haven’t you?” he said, breathing in the smell of Lily’s shampoo. He was furious at himself for being gone while she was so ill. 

Lily scoffed. “I don’t think I frightened anybody as much as you and Ani did.”

“We just had engine troubles, Lily,” Obi-Wan lied.

“Don’t lie, Buir. Everybody has been lying to me. Don’t you lie, too. You and Ani got kidnapped.” She looked over her shoulder at Korkie. “And you and Ahsoka did something dumb, but I’m still not sure what that was.”

“It wasn’t dumb, Lily. We were trying to save Dad and Ani.” Korkie ran a finger around the inside of the empty bowl, getting any last remains. “And it was kriffing cool.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes, felt the lingering headache from his concussion rolling back in. “Don’t encourage her, Korkie.” He gently tipped Lily’s chin up, getting her to look at him. “How do you know all that, Lily Bo?”

She gestured toward the door. “Mum and Ba’vodu and Padme and Tol’ket stood outside my door yesterday and talked to Master Windu. I heard it all.” She shrugged. “I guess they thought I was asleep.” She flopped dramatically against the pillows, rested her head against Korkie’s shoulder, who in turn rested his cheek on the top of her head. “But Mum and Padme have been lying for days to me.”

Obi-Wan sighed. They had made it a point not to lie to the children, but he didn’t blame Satine at all for keeping the truth from Lily, especially since she was so ill. They may have to be more mindful of just how perceptive Lily was in the future. “No one meant to hurt you by lying, Lily Bo. You were so sick, I think they were trying to protect you.”

Korkie shrugged. “At some point we’d have to tell her what happened. How else would we explain Anakin losing his hand?”

Lily sat bolt upright, eyes huge with horror. Her heart rate monitor started making a concerned beep. “Anakin lost his hand?!”

Obi-Wan shot Korkie a look, but, again, the boy just shrugged. The headache was barreling toward migraine now. Good thing he was in a hospital- a thought he never imagined he would think. Perhaps he could track someone down to give him something to dull the pain. “Lily, Anakin and I got into a duel with a very dangerous man. That’s how I got this,” he pointed to the healing, neatly glued cut on his head. “I also have a lightsaber burn here.” He pointed to his ribcage where Dooku had caught him in his moment of distraction. “Anakin was fighting brilliantly, but he lost his focus for a moment-” Obi-Wan noticed Korkie shrink back in embarrassment- “and paid the price.” He pulled her into his lap, looked at both of his children very sternly. “Which is why, my mighty warriors, I tell you so often to focus. To concentrate. We are all very lucky it was only a hand Anakin lost.” Korkie nodded solemnly.

“Can I see him? Is he here?” Lily asked, concern written on her pale face.

“He’s in surgery, little one, but when he’s out and awake, I’ll find a way to take you to see him. He’ll be glad for the company, I’m sure.” He kissed the top of her head, and set her back in her spot on the bed. She snuggled back in against Korkie’s side.

“Now, I’m going to step out for a moment and see if I can get something for my headache. Lily, I assume it is  _ you  _ who is supposed to be eating that dinner and not your brother.” Korkie looked up sheepishly from the bland looking piece of bread he was chewing on.

“It’s gross and I’m not hungry,” she responded in exasperation. Korkie clearly didn’t find it nearly as offensive.

“Hmm, yes. I will see what I can do for you to get you something more palatable, alright?” 

She nodded, snuggling further into her nest of pillows while Korkie flipped on the holoscreen. Obi-Wan smiled, trying to brand the picture of them like this into his mind.

In the hallway, he overheard heated, half whispered words. Down the hall Tol’ket and Bo-Katan stood toe to toe, clearly arguing about something. Obi-Wan sighed. He could suffer a bit longer to deal with these two.

“You will be useless like this, Tol’ket. We don’t know what we’re going to face. Send whoever you want, but you should stay here, or, better yet, go home and  _ sleep,”  _ Obi-Wan overheard Bo saying, tone angry, but volume menacing and low.

“ _ I  _ will decide if I am useless or not, Bo-Katan, and you’re one to talk about sleep. I’m not sure you’ve even slept in the last month!” 

“May I help you two settle this debate?” Obi-Wan asked. “It  _ is,  _ after all, my job.”

“Mand’alor,” Tol’ket straightened, taking a half step back from Bo. 

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at the title. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked.

“We have new information that could lead us to making arrests tonight,” Bo explained. “This  _ di’kut,”  _ she gestured at Tol’ket, “wants to go. But his shoulder is all kriffed up.”

“And I have been trying to tell her I’m fine. Or I will be with another cup of caf and a stim shot,” Tol’ket said. Bo rolled her eyes. 

“This is easy enough,” Obi-Wan said, placing a paternal hand on each of their shoulders. “Tol’ket, you know yourself best, but if you think you may be compromising the mission, fall back and let the others cover for you. Bo-Katan, you would hate it if he tried to tell you what to do with your own body, so leave him be. Trust his instincts. They  _ are  _ good.”

She screwed her face up in distaste. “Fine.” She smashed her helmet on her head, yanked the datapad out of Tol’ket’s hand, and stormed off down the hall, muttering to herself about the uselessness of males.

Tol’ket’s eyes followed her for a moment as he chugged his caf. His eyes held a touch of wistfulness mixed with the usual frustration he held for her. “Be careful, Tol’ket,” Obi-Wan said good naturedly, grinning up at his trusted friend.

Tol’ket looked at him in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

Obi-Wan gestured at the retreating form of Bo-Katan. “Kryze women are a hard habit to break. I speak from experience.”

Tol’ket snorted, crushed the now empty cup with his good hand. “I don’t know what you’re on about, Obi-Wan.” He tossed the cup in a nearby trash bin, gave Obi-Wan a casual salute, and took off at a jog after Bo.

* * *

Tol’ket didn’t catch up with Bo-Katan until he slid into the seat next to her in an idling police speeder. They sat in silence as Tol’ket pulled out his blaster and checked its charges, checked the sight on it. Holstered it. The speeders, a whole convoy of them, moved off from the hospital, and still they sat in silence.

After a few minutes, he swore under his breath, and dug a syringe out of a pouch on his belt. A jolt of panic swept through Bo’s body, and, without a thought she grabbed it from him. 

“What the hell, Bo?”

She flipped it over in her hands, saw his name neatly printed on a pharmacy tag. She recognized the drug- a harmless anti-inflammatory with a kick of a mild stimulant to help press through minor pain. Very safe. Very common. Embarrassment chased away her sudden panic. She handed it back to him sheepishly. “Sorry.”

He looked at her quizzically. “What was that about?”

She stared straight ahead. “I thought it was something else.”

He fiddled with the cap on the needle. “It’s just a stim shot. What the hell did you think it was?”

She growled in frustration. “Battle stims, the really scary stuff, were a particular favorite of... _ his _ . I...I thought it was that. I overreacted. Sorry again.”

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, before struggling to find a good angle from which to inject himself. “I don’t fuck around with that shit. One, Obi-Wan would have my head, and two, I saw what it does during the war.”

She rolled her eyes at his continuing bafflement over how best to stick himself before holding her hand out. “Let me.” He dropped it in her hand as she climbed to her knees, leaning over him. She gently pushed his chin up and away, feeling his stubble against her fingers, and jabbed the needle into his neck. He winced and hissed in pain. “Stop, you giant baby. It wasn’t that bad.” She capped the needle and handed him the syringe, then sat back down. 

Images of a battle high Vizsla flooded Bo's senses like a tidal wave, out of nowhere. Memories assaulted her of his dilated pupils and his hyper aggression and the knowledge that, one way or another, the next day, her beskar would hide bruises that had nothing to do with the actual battle Death Watch had fought-

"Bo?" Tol'ket's concerned voice shot the images out of her mind. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She glanced up at him, his face worried. "Hmm. I was saying battle stims can really fuck you up."

She nodded, cleared her throat. "They make decent people ugly, and ugly people vicious," she replied.

Tol'ket studied her for a long, uncomfortable moment. She fought the urge to squirm under his gaze. His expression was hard, but unreadable. 

After a moment he settled back into his seat, eyes straight ahead. She mimicked him, saw they were pulling into the docks.

"I'm glad you shot him," he said, eyes still ahead on their destination. 

She turned and looked at him. He turned, met her eyes. "I wouldn't have been as gracious as you to grant him a quick and painless death," he said. He turned away, opening the speeder door and jumped out while it was still coming to a stop. 

Bo stared after him for a moment, shook her head, then donned her helmet, jumping out of the speeder to join the gathering squads of police and Protectors. 

Tol’ket addressed the crowd. “We have good information that we will be arresting the mastermind of this smuggling operation that has  _ killed  _ Mando’ade children. When we move out tonight, think of those children. Think of the dozens more still sick and suffering. Think of our own Mand’alor and Duchess’ daughter. We do this not only to right wrongs and restore justice to Mandalore, we do this for Mandalore’s future. For our  _ children.”  _ Tol’ket was quite a rousing speech giver, and the crowd showed their appreciation with a loud cheer. He motioned for them to quiet.

“Now that I know your heads are on straight, here is our plan.” He activated a holoprojector showing the schematics of their targeted warehouse. “Two squads will flank either side, covering all exits on all levels. Bo-Katan and I will head a squad going straight in, with another squad waiting at the main doors for anyone who might try to run.” Heads nodded in understanding. “This is a  _ sting  _ operation. We move quietly. No comms. No speaking unless absolutely necessary. Arrests are preferred. Stunning is acceptable. Got it?”

Nods all around. People checked blasters with a nervous excitement. Tol'ket watched for a moment before nodding himself. "Good.  _ K'oyacyi _ !"

"Oya!" they shouted, including Bo-Katan, in response. 

The group split up, moving like wraiths through the warehousing district. Within a few minutes, the flanking squads were moving around their targeted warehouse. From their hiding place across from the main doors, Bo watched through her rangefinder as Protectors deftly scaled the building’s scaffolding and fire escapes to reach upper doors. Several leapt skillfully to the roof, even. Tol’ket’s Protectors were _very_ well trained. Bo was impressed.

The squad leaders at the building signaled that they were all in place. As a fluid unit, Tol’ket and Bo-Katan’s squad moved to the door, sticking close to the shadows and walls as someone stepped up to door control, slid a computer spike into the terminal, and hijacked the controls. 

Bo held her breath as the doors slid apart, hoping they wouldn’t ruin their cover. She let out the breath as they slid quietly. Tol’ket nodded to her. She jumped, grabbing the lip of the door, and pulled herself up. Balancing carefully, she scanned around. No guards. She nodded down at Tol’ket and the others. Someone hopped up next to her, and they quickly formed a chain, helping everyone up and over the partially lowered door. Some moved down to the floor, fanning out, some jumped, cat like, to the tops of stacked crates. 

Tol’ket was one of the last, and Bo caught the pained expression he tried to hide as he was dragged up onto the door. She wordlessly cocked her head at him. He read the meaning clearly, because he scowled at her and flashed a rude hand gesture at her before sliding down the floor. She jumped to the stacks, and quickly, lightly, made her way further into the warehouse. Her helmet was picking up voices, so she followed the sound, crouching lower and lower as she got closer. On her last jump, she spotted the group. She silently dropped to her belly, pulling the rangefinder down. Half a dozen or so that she could see, but she couldn’t be sure if this was it. Some Mandalorians, a few Gotals, and someone trying to be sneaky in a cowl and cloak.

She could see Tol’ket below her, caught his eye. She signaled to him, he responded, sucking in closer to the crate, sending more signals down his line of Protectors. 

She looked out again at the smugglers, then around. Her rangefinder was picking up the heat signals of all the Protectors and police, all in place to pounce. She looked down at Tol’ket one more time. She nodded. He gave her the signal. She pushed up off her perch and gave the go ahead.

The warehouse walls seemed to  _ erupt  _ with Protectors and police. A few of the Gotals panicked and began firing, but they were lousy shots, and Bo-Katan, from her vantage point, easily picked them off. They slumped to the floor, stunned and ready for restraints.

The others, for the most part, gave up far too easily. It was rather anticlimactic as Bo hopped lightly down from her perch. It seemed anticlimactic, that is, until the cloaked person threw an elbow at a police officer’s face, grabbed their blaster, stunned three other officers, and bolted. Their mistake was bolting  _ toward  _ Bo-Katan. 

She leapt, tackling the being to the ground. They flung the blaster up, as if the shoot her, but she grabbed their wrist and smashed their forearm into the hard floor. The runner yowled, the shock of the force opened their hand, and the blaster clattered to the floor. She grabbed it and stuck in the back of her belt, then pulled the cowl loose. She inhaled a sharp breath. “Tol’ket! You were  _ right!” _

He pushed through the crowd of Protectors and looked down at her prisoner. Then growled.

“ _ Almec,  _ you son of a bitch.”

“I want to hit him,” Bo said from where she was still crouching on Almec’s chest. “Can I hit him?”

Tol’ket scrubbed a hand over his face. “I want you to hit him, too, Bo, but we gotta do this by the books.” 

“I have done  _ nothing  _ wrong. This whole production is highly illegal,” Almec spat.

“No, no, Prime Minister, I’m afraid it is very legal, and with the evidence we have on you, you’ll be going away for quite some time,” Tol’ket explained, gently wrapping his hand around Bo’s upper arm to pull her up. He was far less gentle as he hauled Almec to his feet.

“I was only helping our people. Helping Mandalore,” Almec protested as the police captain came over and put binders on his wrists.

“You  _ killed  _ children!” Bo said.

“How can I be blamed for that? I wasn’t the one mixing the tea.”

Tol’ket shook the Prime Minister as he led him through the warehouse, Bo walking on the other side of the prisoner. “Keep talking,  _ aruetii.  _ Just gives us more evidence. Also, makes me that much more likely to let her hit you.” 

Almec held his tongue after that. 

* * *

Two hours later, Bo found Tol’ket in his office at the palace. 

He sat at his desk, cradling his head in his right hand, while he held his left arm close to his stomach. He jumped when she set the bottle of _tihaar (_ stolen out of Satine’s glass cabinet in the family lounge) and two glasses down on his desk.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” she asked, pointing at his shoulder as she poured them each a glass.

He snarled at her as he took the offered glass. “Yes, it kriffing hurts.” He knocked back the glass in one gulp. “I think I dislocated it.”

She tossed her glass back, too. Poured them both another. “Want me to fix it?”

She didn’t wait for a reply. Gesturing for him to drink, she walked around the desk, grabbed his left arm and, ignoring his shouts, set it back into the socket. He grabbed the bottle and drank three big gulps before she pulled it away. “Stars, you  _ are _ a baby, aren’t you?”

“And you’re a vile woman sent to me by my ancestors to torment me for eternity.” He poured a proper glass and raised it to her in a toast.

She raised her glass, sat down across from him, and put her boots up on his desk. He scowled. She ignored it. “You like it and you know it.”

Tol’ket snorted a laugh, but didn’t respond. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, still cradling his bad arm, and followed Bo’s lead, putting his feet up on the desk.

“Mandalore’s kriffed, Bo,” he said, sipping now at the  _ tihaar. _

“How do you suppose?”

He began counting on his fingers. “Merrik is dead. Jerrec is dead- and we still don’t know who killed him- and now Almec will be charged and most likely convicted for the murders of those kids, and for treason and corruption.” He tipped his head back, closed his eyes. “Save for the Duchess and Obi-Wan, all we have left is a bunch of inefficient cabinet members, which, mind you,” his head popped back up and he waggled a finger at her, “mind you, I won’t be surprised to find at least some of them are as corrupt as old Almec. Then we’ve got the clan heads, and Force knows even now they’re always about two steps and a strong drink away from civil fucking war at any bloody moment.”

He put his feet down, leaned on the desk, and stared into her eyes. “We’re kriffed.” His head hit the desk.

Bo moved back around the desk and pulled him upright by the top of his back armor. “You, my delightfully morose friend, are the epitome of  _ haryc b’aalyc.”  _ She sat on the edge of the desk next to him. He sighed and rested his head on her thigh plate. She froze for a moment, before her eye landed on an empty liquor bottle in the trash beside his desk. Oh, he was  _ very  _ drunk. He’d probably been drunk long before she arrived with the stolen  _ tihaar.  _ So, she let him be. For a brief moment, she thought about running her fingers through his curls, but she stopped herself. Things like that led nowhere good. And nowhere she wanted to go. She placed her hands behind her, instead, propping herself up. 

She thought for a second he may have dozed off, but he sighed. “I may be  _ haryc b’aalyc,  _ but that doesn’t mean we aren’t kriffed.”

“Tol’ket, we caught the man whose actions led to the death of kids tonight. We have a Duchess who will, in her own idealistic and misguided way, fight like hell to keep Mandalore safe, and a Mand’alor who is  _ magical _ , for fuck sake.” He snorted a laugh at the last part. “We’re not kriffed. Mandalore will survive. We always survive.”

She patted his cheek, roughly, to wake him up before he trapped her there on the desk for the night. “You need to go somewhere and sleep, now, ok?” 

He sat up, blinking at her, then gestured to a corner, where a cot sat. She thought maybe his home and his actual bed would be a better option, but she wasn’t arguing with him anymore tonight. 

She helped him strip off his beskar, propped him up in the cot how she knew, from experience, was most comfortable with a recently dislocated shoulder, and sat a glass of water next to him. 

“Good night,  _ ner vod,”  _ she said as she went to move away.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down close. He placed his palm gently against her cheek. “You’re incredible.”

“I know,” she said, smirking at him. He chuckled. “And you’re drunk.”

“I know,” he said. She laughed. 

She pulled his hand away from her and tucked it against his chest. She stood and moved toward the door. “Good night, Tol’ket.” 

She shut the lights out.  _ Haryc b’aalyc.  _ He was just  _ haryc b’aalyc,  _ she told herself as she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Safe synopsis from Bo and Tol'ket's speeder ride: Bo explains that she thought Tol'ket's very safe, normal, prescribed drug was something Vizsla used to use, which triggered some unpleasant memories. Little is said, but Tol'ket cottons on to what little she does share out loud, which is what triggers his comment about not being as gracious as her. FYI- I have some head canon type stuff about this, too, which I'll get into at the bottom. Don't read the bottom if it may be a triggering subject. I don't want my dark mind to cause anyone distress!
> 
> Regarding the neat little bow Almec was served up in here...first of all, actual adults continued to work this case and, you know, track down evidence and interview people. So, instead of four hungry teenagers going out, looking for trouble, the actual adults handled the situation, and there was no need for the horrible scene of Satine being captured and shocked. It's a fact that I ADORE Satine, but two of the dumbest things in canon she did were 1) burn the warehouse down at the end of Corruption and 2) let a teenager come and "teach a class" to other teenagers, and leave it to them to figure out what the hell was going on. So, the grown ups handled it here, and, for once, this family gets a reprieve. Also, Ahsoka and Korkie get to have WAY more fun together in this story!
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Haryc B'aalyc- "tired and emotional." Basically means drunk, but I called the chapter this, too, because I think everyone is a bit tired and emotional right now.   
> Ner vod- "my brother/sister" or, colloquially, my friend. 
> 
> I am STOKED for the next chapter. SO EXCITED. 
> 
> **If you want some more head canon on Vizsla and drugs, read on. I won't go into all the gritty details of what I imagine life was like for Bo with him (I keep having ideas for little spinoff one shots for various characters in this AU, including Bo), but if you want to discuss it, I'll be happy to in the comments! I was doing a bit of research on stims for this, and kinda took the idea of "battle stims" and turned them into NASTY drugs. Basically Vizsla took bath salts. And they made him REAL mean. The real funny thing is that I started to write a much different scene in which Tol'ket took the bad stuff and they were going to have a huge fight over it, but I started to write it and it felt SO off for him, that I stopped. It made me real uncomfortable for him, and for Bo. I like this version way, WAY better. I also like the allusion to Tol'ket's past.


	31. An Overabundance of Confidence and Tenacity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is asked to take on a role who isn't sure he is capable of handling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I was really excited about the next chapter? Yeah. I meant it. That's why I'm posting it today! It's not the most action packed thing, but....well, you'll see!

_ 20 BBY _

Obi-Wan felt the ambush before it happened. 

His attacker, having scaled the bookshelves in the lounge, leapt out at him, in an attempt to tackle him. He caught her with the Force, gently setting her on her feet.

“Lily Bo, must we  _ really  _ go over this again?”

Lily huffed and threw herself down dramatically on the sofa. “I am so bored.”

“You have plenty of schoolwork to keep you entertained, dear one, but I am sure your science teacher will gladly take my suggestion for you to write a paper on just why, medically, you and your classmates are supposed to be  _ resting.”  _ He sat down next to her, took her hand, and gently pushed her sleeve up. As he suspected, her arm was speckled with bruises. “Your white blood cells are too low, which leaves you at risk of infections. And because your platelets are low, as well, you’re bruising too easily and-”

“And I won’t be able to form clots if I get cuts or scrapes. Yeah, yeah, I know. But, Buir, I. Am.  _ Bored.” _

“And I don’t  _ care,”  _ he said, mocking her tone. “Drink this, since you didn’t eat your lunch.” He handed her the nutritional shake he had brought in with him. She wrinkled her nose at it, but obediently took it. 

The slabin poisoning had wreaked havoc on Lily’s young body, as well as the other children. Lily had been home a week, but her appetite was still very low. A concern for a rapidly growing, overly active child. Satine and Obi-Wan had countered it by plying her constantly with high calorie snacks. Some went over better than others. She was  _ not  _ a fan of the shakes.

Tol’ket entered the room, a datapad tucked under his arm. “Ah, thank you for being agreeable to this, Tol’ket. There isn’t a nanny or governess left on Mandalore that can handle her, I don’t think.”

Tol’ket chuckled. “It is my pleasure, Obi-Wan.”

“Lily, go back to your schoolwork, and drink that.” He jabbed a finger at the shake. “Tol’ket, who is honorable and loyal to  _ me,  _ completely incorruptible, will be keeping you company while your mother and I are busy in a meeting.” He raised an eyebrow at her as she settled back down in front of her stack of schoolwork. “I will  _ know  _ if you misbehave or plot an escape. He has my permission to lock you in the brig, need be.”

Lily scowled at him, sipped at her shake, made a disgusted face, then turned back to her work. Tol’ket settled in the seat across from her. Obi-Wan smirked, patted the man on the shoulder. “You’re a good man, Tol’ket. Call if you need back up.”

Tol’ket barked a laugh as Obi-Wan turned to leave, heading for Satine’s office. Dealing with Lily was hard enough, but he was  _ not  _ looking forward to the discussion they were about to have with Anakin. Their son was going to be very unhappy.

* * *

  
  


“Do you know what this is about?” Anakin asked Padme as they walked through the palace toward his mother’s office. It was strange to get called to her office, and he was beginning to feel like a kid again, getting called to the superintendent’s office (something that happened far more often than he cared to admit).

“I have an idea, yes,” Padme said, nodding as she squeezed his hand. His new hand. His metal hand. She swore she didn’t care, that she didn’t mind it, but he found it hard to believe.  _ He  _ minded it. He flexed his robotic fingers, still a task that required a bit too much thought and effort.

“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad you’re here for it.” He smiled down at her beautiful face. He’d missed her over the last week, when she’d been called back to the Senate. He always missed her, to be fair. They spent entirely too much time apart. But the few days they’d spent on Mandalore as he started his recovery and physical therapy had been sweet. Almost relaxing.

They entered his mother’s bright, elegant space to find her and his father sitting in chairs across from the low sofa. Her holoprojector had been moved to allow for the seated image of none other than Bail Organa to be in the seating area, as well. Bail smiled warmly at the sight of Anakin and Padme.

“Bail?” Anakin said in surprise.

“Hello, Anakin! It’s good to see you looking well. Your father was just filling me in on more of the details about your recent….adventures.”

Anakin looked skeptically at his parents before allowing Padme to tug him down next to her on the sofa. “Not that it isn’t good to see you, Bail, but, Mum, this is weird. What’s going on?”

Satine glanced at Obi-Wan, who looked almost nervous, then at Padme, who nodded encouragingly.

“Anakin, Senator Organa is joining us for this discussion, because we all trust him a great deal, and his input has been invaluable the last couple of weeks,” she said, clasping her hands elegantly in her lap.

“Input on what?” Anakin asked.

“As you are well aware, Anakin, Madalore has had some serious...upheavals in our government the last month or so,” Obi-Wan said. “We’re working as quickly as we can to fill all of the suddenly empty seats, but-”

“Can we just get to the point?” Anakin asked, pushing the anxiety that was swirling in the room away from him.

Satine sighed. “Alright. No point in beating around the bush. Anakin, I’d like you to take over Mandalore’s seat in the Senate, at least for the near future.”

Well,  _ this  _ was certainly not what Anakin was expecting. “I...I...I have a job, though,” he argued, ineloquently.

“And this is partially where I come in, Anakin. Raymus Antilles will be filling your role,  _ if  _ the Senate even allows relief aid to continue,” Bail explained.

“What? Why wouldn’t they let it continue? People  _ need  _ help out there.” Anakin felt sharp, hot anger at the idea of the relief work ending. And here they were, asking him to join the very body of government that would deny people lifesaving aid.

“Ani,” Padme said, squeezing his hand. “The Senate is concerned for the safety of the relief workers as much as they are those that need aid. Particularly after what happened on your last trip.”

“They’re not concerned about the people or the workers. They’re concerned about the expense,” Anakin said, sharply. He noted Bail’s subtle nod in agreement. “Besides, we were  _ targeted _ by Dooku. He said as much himself.”

“All of that very well may be true, Anakin,” Satine said, “but the fact of the matter is Mandalore is suffering and we  _ need  _ a voice in the Senate. Our people will trust you, my dear.  _ I  _ trust you.” She caught his eye and gave him a sad smile. His shoulders slumped. He couldn’t be angry at her. She knew what she was asking of him, and she wouldn’t be doing it if she wasn’t desperate. 

He shook his head. “I’m not cut out to be a Senator.”

“Well, that’s not true,” Padme said, practically laughing. “You served in Merrik’s office, you’re well educated and understand your people’s needs, you’ve grown up watching your own parents govern.” She smiled at him. “You also have been out in the galaxy, seeing what this war is doing to those with no one to speak for them. Ani, you’re kind, caring, and passionate. You’re everything a Senator should be.”

“Hear, hear,” Bail said. “Your wife said it best, Anakin. Besides, we will help you.”

He looked at his father. Obi-Wan looked uncomfortable, troubled. “You’re quiet. What do you think of all this?” Anakin asked him.

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin, taking a moment to compose his thoughts. “I agree with everything that has been said, but I agree while being concerned.” He glanced at Satine, who gave him a sharp look. Anakin wasn’t sure what unspoken message was said in the look, but his father read it loud and clear. “If you choose to accept this role, Anakin- and to be clear, you are not being forced to take it- you will be spending a great deal of time on a planet on which you and I both feel a darkness of sorts. That, in addition to what Dooku said-”

“Obi-Wan, you can’t possibly believe that man!” Satine said sharply.

“I don’t know if I do, Satine, but I feel it is good to be mindful. There is often some element of truth in a lie.”

Bail looked between Obi-Wan and Satine, confused. “May I ask what Dooku said?”

Anakin sighed. “Dooku told us there is a Sith Lord influencing members of the Senate. That this Sith Lord is “pulling strings” in the war.” He smirked. “He also said Dad is a thorn in the Sith Lord’s side, which is actually kinda kriffing cool.”

“Anakin,” Satine admonished.

“What? Being considered a Sith Lord’s annoyance makes Dad kind of a bad ass.” Anakin caught his father trying to hide the chuckle in his fist. 

Bail cocked a dark eyebrow, looking perplexed. “This is all quite concerning. Perhaps this a matter to be discussed with the Jedi Council.”

“We did bring it to their attention after that whole fiasco,” Obi-Wan said. “What they chose to do with the information, I don’t know.”

Bail nodded in understanding. “Yes, well, possibly another excellent reason for you to take the Senate seat, Anakin. Your particular gifts may be useful, if what Dooku said is even partially true.”

Anakin frowned. Bail was probably right. And his mother was right. Everyone was right. Mandalore needed him. 

But the idea of being trapped on Coruscant made his stomach turn. Having to live with that dark, foreboding feeling weighing on him constantly.  _ Kriffing hell. _

“You should take some time to think about this, Anakin,” his mother said.

He shook his head. “I don’t need time. I’ll do it. For Mandalore.”

Satine smiled broadly. “Anakin, thank you. I know, I  _ know  _ this isn’t an easy decision for you.”

Bail clapped his hands together. “Excellent, Anakin! You will be a most respected voice in the Senate, I am sure. I’ll send you a few notes passed down to me when I first took my seat. You may find them useful.” Bail glanced up to someone out of sight. “I must go. Senator Amidala,  _ Senator  _ Skywalker, I will be seeing you both soon. Duchess, Obi-Wan, a pleasure, as always.” Bail’s image flickered out.

With Bail gone, Anakin let pretenses go, and flopped back into the sofa inelegantly. “This is going to be a kriffing disaster.” He scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. Winced when he remembered one of them was a skeletal, metal hand. 

Satine moved to sit beside him. “It won’t be a disaster, bright one. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t believe in your capabilities.”

He turned his head to look at her. “My capabilities just about got Dad and I killed two weeks ago.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “A minor blip. You are otherwise well suited for the task.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, then looked at Padme. “You knew about this all along?”

She made a pained face. “I did.”

“You didn’t think maybe we should have talked about it?”

“I wanted to talk about it with you, Ani, but I wanted to make sure it was something your mother was definitely going to offer you.”

“Don’t blame Padme for not telling you, Anakin,” Satine said with a sigh. “I asked her to wait until we felt confident it was the right path to take.”

He scowled at them all. “I should be mad, but I’m too karking terrified to be mad.”

Satine smiled at him as she stood. “ _ K’atini,  _ my dear. Now, I hate to be rude, but I have only filled one of three very important seats in Mandalore’s government so, if you will…” She gestured to the door.

“Oh, I know when I’m not wanted,” Obi-Wan grumbled, standing to leave. He kissed Satine on the cheek. 

“I always want you, my love, I just don’t need you right now,” she said with a smirk.

Anakin felt the color drain from his face as Padme laughed, far too amused at his mother’s innuendo. “Yep. That’s enough of that for today.” 

With that, he dragged Padme away to safety.

* * *

Anakin sat on the edge of their bed, watching Padme pack. He was supposed to be packing, too, as they would head to Coruscant in the morning, but his mind was racing too fast to concentrate.

"How am I going to do this, Padme?" he groaned, brushing his fingers- his  _ real _ fingers- through the gauzy fabric of her skirt as she moved between the dresser and her travel case.

"Ani, you're going to do it the same way you do everything- with an overabundance of confidence and tenacity."

She smiled sweetly at him as she laid a dress carefully into her case before moving to stand in front of him. She ran her hands through his hair, tipped his head back, and kissed him tenderly. “You’ll be good at it. And you don’t have to do it forever. Just until Mandalore finds its feet again.” She kissed him again.

He gripped her hips gently and leaned his forehead against her stomach, soaking in the quiet comfort and calm he found being physically close to her. “I just don’t know how I will stand being on Coruscant for extended periods of time,” he half whispered as she carded her fingers through his hair.

“I know, Ani, I know. But we’ll be together.” She leaned over, running her hands down his back, rubbing comforting circles into the tight knots that had formed. “We’ll travel here and to Naboo any chance we can. We’ll take diplomatic missions. I think Bail is hosting a summit on Alderaan soon. We’ll make  _ lots  _ of excuses to leave. And, when we can’t, we’ll finally be  _ together.  _ That’s what we’ve been wanting, Anakin.”

She was right. She was always right. Even before they’d married, all he’d wanted was more time to just  _ be  _ with Padme. And now it was being served up to him on a platter. With a side of a planet sick with darkness and fear. 

He nodded his head against her body, and sighed. “It’s everything I’ve wanted. You’re everything I’ve wanted, Padme.” He lifted his head to find her face. Her warm, rich, chocolate eyes met his. “I love you, angel.”

“And I love you, Ani.” She leaned in to kiss him, just as their door flung open.

“Hide me!” Lily hissed, tumbling into the room in a panic.

“Karabast, Lily Bo! Don’t you knock?” Anakin growled, jumping up off the bed and making to shove Lily back out the door. “And aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

“I could tell you two weren’t up to….you know, which is why I didn’t knock.” Padme choked on a laugh behind him as Anakin’s face flushed. Little sisters should  _ not  _ know. “ _ Please,  _ Ani. I am bored and I don’t want to sit and  _ rest  _ anymore.”

He looked down into Lily’s big blue eyes, bigger than normal now in her thin and pale face. She was practically vibrating with pent up energy, and her Force signature screamed with frustration. He narrowed his eyes and gave her a crooked smile. “Alright. We’ll hide you.”

Lily leapt at him, tackling him with a hug. “Thank you. If Buir threatens me one more time with an essay, I will go mad.”

Anakin glanced over at Padme, who was finding this all far too funny. He tapped Lily on the head. “If Dad’s looking for you, then you need to lock down on those shields, little one. You’re a mess right now. He could probably find you up on Concordia with that storm.” 

She gasped. “Oh right.” The wild, frustrated, kinetic energy that was Lily’s Force signature diminished then slipped away from Anakin entirely, just as a knock rapped gently on their door.

Anakin pushed Lily up against the wall next to the door, placed his hand over her mouth. She squeaked at the sensation of his robotic hand against her skin, but nodded a go ahead when he glanced at her. He caught Padme out of the corner of his eye, smirking as she sat on the bed and fussed with her travel case. 

He slid the door open. There was their father.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” Lily tensed under his hand. Anakin got a thrill of excitement that he could  _ tell _ she tensed. The neural sensors were getting stronger.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. “Have you seen Lily?”

Anakin frowned, shook his head. “Nooo, not recently. Last time I saw her was in the lounge, harassing Tol’ket.” From a certain point of view, that wasn’t even a lie. The last time he had seen Lily, prior to her barging in, had been just that. He looked over his shoulder at Padme. “Have you seen her recently?”

“I haven’t seen Lily since lunch,” Padme said, never looking up from the tunic she was folding for the fifth time. Now  _ that  _ was a lie. Padme was far too good at lying. 

Obi-Wan scowled. “Funny. I could have sworn I felt her down this way. She’s going to end up back in the hospital if she doesn’t settle down.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down the hall. 

“Ah, come on, Dad. Lily’s just bored. You know how busy she usually is. She doesn’t know  _ how  _ to sit still.” Lily nodded appreciatively against his hand. 

“I know, the poor thing. We’ll find some way to keep her happy and out of trouble until she recovers.” Obi-Wan sighed, slumping his shoulders. “Well, I’ll keep looking. I’ll see you both at dinner, then.”

Anakin nodded enthusiastically. “Yep. Sounds good, Dad! See you later.” Then slid the door shut.

“You owe me, kid,” he growled to Lily, as she pushed his robotic hand away and flopped onto their bed. 

“Are you sure about that, Ani? What about all those times I caught you and Korkie sneaking out to race speeder bikes in the middle of the night? Hmm?” Lily looked at him innocently from where she had sprawled next to Padme. 

Padme laughed. “Lesson one of being a senator, Anakin: remember who you owe for what before looking to make a deal.”

“Sithspit,” Anakin hissed.

* * *

  
  


Getting into the Mandalore system undetected was far more complicated than it had been years earlier thanks to the new coalition between the Duchess’ government and Death Watch. Death Watch patrolled the system like rabid akk dogs. But, he managed. He hadn’t survived this long in a galaxy being torn apart without knowing how to avoid detection.

He landed his ship deep in the wilderness of Mandalore’s moon, Concordia. It would be a long walk to the Death Watch base, but, again, avoiding detection until the opportune moment was important. He could walk. 

The walk deposited him at the heavily fortified and guarded gates of the base at dusk. As he had anticipated, he was immediately surrounded, blasters aimed at his head by Mandalorians hungry for a reason to fight. He could practically taste it. But that wasn’t why he was here. He had other business.

“On your knees! Hands where we can see them,” one demanded, stepping closer. He wondered if they knew that he could cut them all down if he chose. They should fear him. They weren’t nearly frightened enough. But again, no. He mustn't get distracted. He had a meeting to attend.

He complied, moving slowly, cautiously, he lowered himself to his knees, placing his hands above his head. “My weapon is attached to my belt on my left hip. Would you like me to remove it, or shall you?” he asked, keeping his tone low and calm.

The Mandalorian didn’t speak, just stepped over and pulled his weapon free, attached it to his belt. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“I am here to speak to the one you call  _ Bo-Katan,”  _ he explained. “I won’t be speaking to anyone else until I speak with her.”

Glances were exchanged. The leader- whether by rank or by default, he couldn’t ascertain- barked for someone to put him in binders while he made a call. He allowed himself to be restrained, stood when he was asked to stand. He watched the leader intently. This was the complicated part. He could not control whether she would see him. He was powerful, but not that powerful.

Finally, the leader turned and nodded. Two Mandalorians grabbed him by his biceps, the rest flanked them, guns still drawn and ready. He was marched through the gates into the base, and eventually led into a briefing room of some sort. His guards roughly indicated that he should kneel again. Of course. They needed to feel in control. He complied.

After a few moments, a tall, lithe, beskar clad woman entered the room. The beskar could do nothing to hide the posture, the stance, the raw  _ energy  _ of a warrior. The beskar only amplified it. She filled the room with her presence. It was nearly intoxicating.

She stopped in front of him, a couple of meters distance between them. Despite her helmet, he could feel the cold, calculating look of someone accustomed to sizing up her opponents swiftly. But, if things went as planned, they need not be opponents.

The leader stepped up to her. “He was carrying this, boss.” The man handed her his lightsaber. She studied it for a long moment, turning it over in her hand. She seemed comfortable around such weapons, though he wasn’t surprised. She was Mandalorian. Weapons were all but part of their religion. She turned her gaze back to him. He could  _ feel  _ the steel of it, even through the visor of her helmet. They held each other's eyes for a long, quiet moment. 

Then she growled in frustration.

“What seven levels of holy hell is going on now?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Bo-Katan. 
> 
> And, yes, even in a galaxy far, far away, sometimes kids have to do some distance learning. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> K'atini- "suck it up." Yes, Satine literally told her son to grow a pair. And I love her for it.


	32. The Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo-Katan seeks backup in dealing with her guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big sighs of relief, the cliffhanger is over.

_ 20 BBY _

“What seven levels of holy hell is going on now?” Bo-Katan growled sharply.

She was at an utter and complete loss. Could she just not catch a break for more than a few weeks at a time?

“They told me about you,” she said to the Zabrak man that knelt before her. No one had told her much, though- a few passing comments on his appearance and skills from Tol’ket, an overblown tale of adventure from Lily.

He was both every bit as menacing as they described him, and also just another Zabrak with some wicked and scary looking tattoos.

“Hmmm, so Kenobi speaks of me,” he practically purred. They had  _ not  _ mentioned the deep, silky, aristocratic accent that did not fit the frightening face.

“You have come up in passing while discussing security,” she said, not giving him the satisfaction of thinking he was some nightmare haunting her family’s dreams. Far from it, in fact. They had had far more pressing matters of late than a Zabrak with an attitude.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I am here to speak with Kenobi,” he said simply.

“Then why not go to Mandalore?”

“Because Kenobi’s Protectors will shoot me on sight. You and your Death Watch have no history with me,” he explained.

“Hmm, fair enough,” Bo said, nodding. He probably was right. In the way Tol’ket spoke of him, he probably would shoot first, ask questions later. She continued to study the man. “Why do you assume Kenobi will speak with you?”

“I have information relevant to him and his children. Especially that Skywalker boy.” 

She took a deep breath. Anakin and Padme had left for Coruscant several days ago, a full squad of Protectors- much to Anakin’s disgust- with them, along with Padme’s usual assortment of Nabooian guards. Any information this man had would not be happy information, of that she was sure. And now Anakin was too far away to properly protect.

Bo needed back up.

“Get him a chair. He’s given us no reason to be rude,” she barked, before stepping away from him, pulling off her helmet, and activating her commlink.

“Bo,” Tol’ket greeted simply, his image barely looking up from whatever desk work he must have been dealing with. 

“I...hmm…” she struggled to figure out the best way to broach the subject of the menacing red and black man seated in the center of the room. 

He looked up when she trailed off, must have noticed the anxiety on her face. “Bo? What’s wrong?”

“I, uh, I’m not quite sure what to do with this.” She turned to capture the Zabrak in her commlink’s holorecorder. Tol’ket’s eyes went huge, and he released a long, loud, impressive string of expletives and oaths, in several languages.

“You  _ captured  _ Maul?” he finally asked, once his swearing was complete.

She shook her head. “He surrendered to us.”

“He  _ WHAT?!” _

Bo had not realized until that moment that Tol’ket’s voice had the ability to reach such an impressively high octave. 

“He wants to talk to Kenobi,” she said.

Tol’ket snorted in disgust. “Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged,” Maul called over his shoulder, his voice practically sing-song. 

Another long stream of curses. 

“Just...just put him in a cell. Keep his lightsaber in another room. Another building, maybe. I’m coming to you,” Tol’ket said, standing and shuffling datapads on his desk.

“Don’t do that. Just tell me what I should do with him.”

“I’m coming, Bo-Katan. This….this monster is out of your depth.” She started to open her mouth to protest vehemently, but he stopped her. “No, really. I’m bringing Protectors with me. Let your people know.”

Bo bristled. “Don’t you dare bring Protectors here, Tol’ket. You know that isn’t part of the deal.”

His face went hard and serious. “Bo-Katan, the deal was nullified the moment he stepped foot onto Concordia. My Protectors have been specifically trained to deal with the likes of him for going on twelve years. Does your Death Watch know anything about dealing with a dark Force user? Fighting a proper lightsaber wielder? Vizsla and his ham-fisted use of the darksaber does  _ not  _ count.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “No.”

“Right. I’m bringing Protectors. Please don’t argue with me on this. I will see you soon.”

His image flickered off. She looked up at Maul, who was watching her.

“Well, you certainly have him in a state,” she said to him. He smirked at her, but said nothing. Bo motioned at the commandos standing guard. “Put him in a cell for now.”

They flanked Maul, who went along compliantly. He chuckled as he left. “I look forward to chatting with you more, Lady Bo-Katan.”

She hated him. 

* * *

  
  


“What about this guy we’ve got locked up has Kenobi’s man all stirred up?” Ursa asked, walking beside Bo out to the landing platform. Bo had called her in from a patrol after Maul had shown up and Tol’ket had invited himself and his Protectors to Concordia, so Ursa was still getting up to speed.

Bo shook her head as she looked up at the shuttle, descending to the landing pad. “I don’t really get it, to be honest. I know there’s been some run ins with him. That’s about it.”

Ursa grunted in reply as the ship landed and the ramp lowered, then swore as an entire squad of Protectors disembarked. “He brought an  _ entire  _ squad?”

“I’m going to kill him,” Bo muttered, catching sight of Tol’ket as he brought up the rear, an extra beskad in his hand.

Ursa made a low, appreciative whistle when she got her first proper look at him. “Oh, but he’ll be a pretty dead man, won’t he?” 

“Shut up, Ursa,” Bo growled, before storming up to Tol’ket. 

“An  _ entire  _ squad, Tol’ket?  _ Dini’la, _ that’s what you are, along with your usual rank as bastard.” 

“Nice to see you, too, Bo-Katan,” he said steadily, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I told you I was bringing Protectors. Here are my Protectors.” He produced a slugthrower from the back of his belt and offered it with the beskad. “These are for you.”

“I have my own weapons,” she said, giving him a questioning look.

He chuckled. “So, I’ve noticed, but now you have a Maul problem in your house, and these are how you solve Maul problems.” He held her gaze for a long beat, before she took the weapons. His lips quirked up in a small smile of victory.

Ursa stepped up beside Bo, then, and held out her arm for a proper warrior greeting. “Ursa Wren. We’ve yet to meet.” Bo could  _ hear  _ Ursa’s smile under her helmet. She was having much too much fun with this, considering the seriousness of the situation.

Tol’ket tipped his head as he clasped Ursa’s forearm. “I knew a few Wrens during the war. Honorable warriors. I am Tol’ket, captain of the Royal House Guard and Protectors to Duchess Kryze.” He smirked at Bo. “I’m also your resident Sith Lord defense expert.” Bo rolled her eyes at him.

She jerked her head toward the detention block. “Let’s go see our friend, shall we?”

Tol’ket nodded and gestured for her to lead the way, his Protectors falling in behind them. Death Watch commandos made to follow, but she lifted a hand to wave them off. She’d worked alongside the Protectors, and Tol’ket especially, enough now to know they were more than capable on their own. If Tol’ket felt so strongly to bring Protectors here, then she would let them take point on this.

Bo led him and his men into the detention block and stopped in front of Maul’s cell. Bo stood at Tol’ket’s right, Ursa beside her, the Protectors moved, standing sentinel at Maul’s cell door, at the entrance to the block, flanking them on all sides. This felt like overkill, especially as the Zabrak only stood in the center of his cell, hands still behind his back in binders. His eyes were closed, his posture alert but relaxed. 

He took a deep breath as he opened and leveled his golden eyes onto Tol’ket. He just...looked at them. His expression unreadable.

“Long time, no see,” Tol’ket said in greeting.

Maul’s face pinched in mild distaste, before he turned his eyes onto Bo. “I see you’ve brought me company, Lady Bo-Katan, but it is not with whom I asked to speak.”

“Tol’ket and I are Kenobi’s seconds. You may speak with us," Bo said, Tol'ket nodding in agreement.

"Then I do believe we are at an impasse," Maul said, closing his eyes again.

Tol'ket made a noise somewhere between a growl and a groan of frustration, the sound emanating from deep in chest. "Why, exactly, do you think, after what you've put that family through, that I would just gamely go along with your request?"

Maul slowly opened his eyes again, took two steps toward the ray shielded door, his eyes raking up and down Tol'ket. "Tol'ket, is it? Hmmm, I remember you." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Yes. You fought alongside Kenobi quite skillfully that night. I have the scars to show for it." 

"The night you blew up the palace and tried to kidnap the children," Tol'ket added. Bo had heard about that night, through the holonet. That must have been the night Lily had told her about. Apparently it wasn’t just some tall tale. 

"My dear man, I was following  _ orders.  _ Orders for a master I no long serve. My motives are different now." Maul sighed. “I have told Kenobi as much already, on Coruscant.”

Bo glanced at Tol’ket, who had narrowed his eyes at Maul. Tol’ket rubbed his chin, looking eerily like Kenobi for a moment. “Your track record is not one that gives me any great confidence, Maul. A brief, interrupted encounter in the middle of the night certainly doesn’t wash your sins away in my book.”

“ _ Mando’ad draar digu,”  _ Ursa muttered under her breath.

Tol’ket grunted in agreement. Maul looked curiously at Ursa for a translation. Bo provided it. “She said a Mandalorian doesn’t forget. I don’t know much about your history with Kenobi, but I trust Tol’ket’s judgement on this. You won’t be speaking to Kenobi.”

Maul sneered, turned, and sat down on the bench in his cell. “Very well.” He closed his eyes again. “The blood of millions will be on your hands then.”

Bo and Tol’ket exchanged looks. “Let’s go talk,” Tol’ket grumbled under his breath. Bo nodded in agreement, moving toward the exit. 

Gar Saxon, who had been transferred to Concordia after being treated for his injuries from his  _ accident,  _ leaned against the wall of his cell near his door. “ _ Veriduur,”  _ he growled at Bo-Katan as she passed.

She ignored him, not even gracing him with a glance, but Tol’ket stopped, turned and faced the man. Bo sighed and shook her head, stopped and waited for Tol’ket to get whatever was coming out of his system.

Tol’ket sized Saxon up, a hard, brutal look on his face. Saxon sneered back. 

“Careful, Saxon,” Tol’ket growled. “I know how clumsy you are. I’d hate for you to take another... _ tumble.” _

“You wouldn’t risk your cushy job,  _ dar’manda.  _ You wouldn’t dare,” Saxon snarled.

Tol’ket reached to palm the lock control, and, much to Bo’s shock and small delight, Saxon sucked back, as if waiting for the first fist to fall. Tol’ket smirked at the reaction as Bo grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him after her. 

As they walked out, Ursa chuckled and smacked Tol’ket on the back. “I like you.”

* * *

  
  


“I don’t like this,” Bo muttered as she paced the length of her office in the governor’s mansion.

Tol’ket reclined in a chair at the conference table, a cup of caf in his hand. “It’s not exactly a stroll in the park for me, either, Bo. That man is bad news and I would have sooner shot him than left him alive down there.”

Ursa fussed with her tea, taking a sip, then made a pained face. Ursa hated tea, but had temporarily sworn off of her beloved caf for Sabine’s benefit. Bo often wondered if Ursa wouldn’t just be happier drinking hot water, if she was so damned set on a warm drink. “Why don’t you let Kenobi decide?”

Bo and Tol’ket whirled on her. “Clearly, you don’t know Obi-Wan,” Tol’ket grunted into his caf cup. Bo chuckled. 

“If this character has information about Kenobi’s family, though, shouldn’t  _ he  _ be the one to decide if he wants to hear it?” 

Tol’ket looked at Bo, a frustrated, resigned look on his face. A look that matched her feelings.

“Damnit, Ursa, why do you have to be so karking reasonable?”

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan stepped off the shuttle onto Concordia, flanked by Protectors. Complete and utter overkill, he thought, knowing he was just going from one stronghold to another, but Tol’ket had insisted. 

He was awaited by the man himself, Bo at his side, and a woman he recognized from a holo call as Ursa Wren. Death Watch commandos fell in neat lines behind them, and they all saluted him sharply on sight.

It was off putting. 

He had not been to Concordia since that fateful night that felt like ages ago. He had left Bo-Katan to her own devices to do with Death Watch as she saw fit, and she had done well with them.

But the saluting him like he was their conquering hero was a bit much. 

The three waiting for him made it even worse when, as he stopped in front of them, they all bowed and called him Mand’alor.

“Do you all have that nonsense out of your system now?” he groaned.

Tol’ket smirked at him, but wisely kept his mouth shut. 

Bo moved, gesturing at the Wren woman. “Kenobi, this is my second in command, Ursa Wren of Clan Wren, House Vizsla.” 

Ursa bowed again. “Mand’alor,” she said.

“Please, Lady Wren. You don’t have to call me that. These two will both tell you they only use that title to manipulate me,” he said as he grasped her forearm.

She laughed. “I don’t know about your man, Tol’ket, but that  _ does _ sound like Bo.” She smiled, a devious little smile. “I would  _ never  _ do such a thing.”

“Liar,” Bo grunted. 

Obi-Wan chuckled, before clapping his hands together in anticipation. “Alright. Let’s go pay our guest a visit, shall we?”

Bo swiveled on her heel, leading them off deeper into the compound, toward the detention center. Death Watch saluted as he passed. He finally gave in and saluted back, feeling ridiculous.

Obi-Wan had not seen this part of Concordia on his last trip here, too busy being lied to by Vizsla then ultimately dueling with the man to take in any of his surroundings. Looking around him now at the base, at the sheer  _ number  _ of commandos, at their equipment, he realized just how vital and huge Bo-Katan’s swift execution of Pre Vizsla really was. If this had been allowed to turn against Mandalore in any legitimate fashion, they would not have been able to do anything to stop them.

They entered the detention center and he could  _ feel  _ Maul. It was a feeling that his bones and muscles had memorized, despite only having felt it a small handful of time. The coldness of the Zabrak settled into him as Bo stopped in front of a cell, gestured toward the door

Maul sat on a bench in the back of the cell, eyes closed. His lips slowly curled up in a cold smile as his eyes opened and zeroed in on Obi-Wan. “I see we had a change of heart,” he said, his yellow eyes flicking toward Tol’ket.

“Why are you here, Maul? Why have you surrendered to Death Watch?” Obi-Wan asked.

He stood and made his way to the door. Obi-Wan realized he was still bound, hands behind his back. “We aren’t going to be interrupted this time by your little brat, are we? That was most unfortunate.”

“Maul…” Obi-Wan warned.

Maul rolled his eyes dramatically. “Oh, alright.” He sighed, started stalking about the cell. “It will come to no surprise to you that the Sith are on the rise.”

Obi-Wan snorted, rolled his eyes this time. “Maul, I’ve known that since you killed my master all those years ago. This is not new information. What does it have to do with my family? Why is it so important that you would risk yourself like this?”

Maul chuckled. It wasn’t a merry sound, but a deep, foreboding, menacing noise. “It’s your desert rat, Kenobi. The one you sent to Coruscant. It all revolves around him.”

Tol’ket shifted uncomfortably next to him. Bo, her brow creased with confusion and concern, caught his eye. He shook his head. “What revolves around Anakin? I must say, Maul, you certainly do know how to draw something out.”

Maul looked at him, holding his gaze as he paced. “I was too young and naive to see what was happening all those years ago when I tried to steal the boy for my master. I didn’t realize why he wanted the boy so much until much later.” He stopped in front of the door, standing as close to it as he possibly could. “Obi-Wan, your son is the Chosen One. You and I know how strong he is. The Jedi, those fools, could have protected him. But instead, they cast him aside.” He stood, closed his eyes and breathed. “My master will stop at nothing to get  _ your  _ son and make him his apprentice.”

Obi-Wan stilled, reaching out through the Force, looking for the truth in what Maul said. It wasn’t that he was surprised by this. Of course a dark sider would see Anakin, Chosen One or not, and want to corrupt the goodness, the kindness, the pure light of the boy. The boy who was more man now than boy. 

But hearing Maul say it, seeing what he went through to say it to his face...it leant a certain uncomfortable weight to something Obi-Wan had always been mindful of.

Tol’ket spoke, shocking Obi-Wan back into the present. “You said if we didn’t let you talk to Kenobi, the blood of millions would be on our hands. What does Anakin have to do with that?”

“Ah, yes,” Maul smiled his cold smile again. “My former master has grand designs on ruling the galaxy. At one point, I believed I would rule it alongside him. As it is, his plans are already under way. We are all his pawns in some way.”

Obi-Wan growled in frustration. “Maul, please, sometime today.”

Maul sighed, sat down on his bench. “Anakin will be his ultimate weapon. He will use Anakin to bring the galaxy to heel for him. I had  _ thought  _ that would be my role, but, well, Anakin, all that  _ raw  _ power. It would be a job well suited for him once he falls.”

Anakin wouldn’t fall. Anakin  _ couldn’t  _ fall. He was too kind, too loving. Obi-Wan’s stomach tied itself into knots.

“How can I trust you?” Obi-Wan asked.

“You feel a heaviness, a darkness on Coruscant, yes? As does Anakin? Your other brats?” Obi-Wan nodded. “There’s a  _ reason  _ for that, Kenobi. You’re all but in the very nest of my former master. His darkness is all but  _ poisoning  _ the very air of that planet. And it only grows darker, reaching out through the galaxy, day by day. Soon it will be inescapable.”

“Who is your master, Maul?”

“You are looking for one called Lord Sidious,” he said simply.

“But who  _ is  _ he?” Obi-Wan asked, stamping down on his frustration.

“That I won’t say.”

“What?” 

“I’ve told you  _ enough,”  _ Maul growled. “Take what I’ve told you and see if you can stop my master and his plans. Though, I do believe it may be too late.”

“You haven’t told us shit, you bastard,” Bo-Katan barked. “You talk in nothing but riddles and lies.” She turned to Ursa. “This is why we don’t kriff around with  _ jetii.”  _ Obi-Wan laid a steadying hand on her arm.

“Steady on, Bo,” Tol’ket murmured, catching her eye.

Obi-Wan turned back to Maul. “You told me once we could stop him together. Is that not true any longer?”

Maul smirked, leaned his head back against the wall. “I have a different agenda now, Kenobi. You are on your own.”

Obi-Wan gave him a long frustrated look, before scrubbing a hand over his face. “Fine. Fine.” He turned to the others. “We’ll leave him be for now. Talk to him again tomorrow. He is our guest, of sorts. Treat him as such.”

Tol’ket and Bo-Katan both went to argue, but he held up a hand. “Feed him. Just...just feed the damn monster, alright? Come on, let’s let him stew for a bit.” They nodded and followed him back out into the fading daylight, Tol’ket snarling something at a prisoner that Obi-Wan thought must have been Gar Saxon as they passed.

Outside, near the ramp of his shuttle, they huddled together. “I want to speak with Anakin about this. The Duchess, as well. Possibly reach out to the Council, or at least someone I trust on the Council,” Obi-Wan told them. “I’m going to go home. Have your men keep a sharp eye on him, Tol’ket. He’s dangerous, even if he is playing nice with us.”

“Would you like me to travel back with you to Mandalore, sir?” Tol’ket asked. Obi-Wan could tell Mandalore was the last place his loyal captain actually wanted to be at that moment. He was on edge. He patted his arm.

“No, my friend. Stay here. Your talents will be best used here.” Obi-Wan turned to Bo. “Can your people host Tol’ket and his men tonight? I know this isn’t what we agreed to but…”

Bo waved her hand to shush him. “We will be our  _ most  _ hospitable, Kenobi.” Ursa barked a laugh.

Obi-Wan shook his head and sighed. “Please no civil wars tonight.”

Bo cracked a smile. “They’re fine, I promise. Go talk to Satine.” 

Obi-Wan smiled back at her. “Good. I’ll let you all know if I have anything to add. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Yes, Mand’alor,” the three of them said in unison, practically identical smirks on all their faces.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and pivoted, marching up the ramp, his Protectors flanking him. He wasn’t even going to try to argue with them anymore. 

As Concordia shrank below him and Mandalore loomed larger, Obi-Wan rolled the things Maul said around in his head. Then pondered what Dooku had said. If someone was pulling strings, influencing the Senate, and Coruscant was all but the very belly of the beast, it  _ must  _ be someone on the planet. 

Obi-Wan tipped his head back against his seat in frustration, and watched the bone white plains surrounding Sundari stretch out into the distance. He felt like the answer was dangling right in front of him, but he couldn’t see it through a thick smog of darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hey, you know, Maul hasn't spent over a decade stewing in his own anguish like he did in canon, so he's almost, ALMOST a fairly normal, reasonable guy. As much as a Sith can be a normal, reasonable guy. 
> 
> I accidentally wrote Bo-Katan, Ursa, and Tol'ket as another chaos trio. It was unintentional but it makes me happy.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day! Basically just name calling.  
> Dini'la: insane  
> Veriduur: courtesan or whore, depending on the source (guess which one Saxon was using?).
> 
> Thanks for all the super duper comments, as always! I had fun seeing some of the guesses. Glad I kept you all on your toes!
> 
> FYI, if you're interested, I wrote a one shot that dives into Bo-Katan's history in this AU, "Who Will Keep Me Safe?" Lots of triggery stuff (noted in the warnings and tags), but if you're interested to know more about what led Bo to her actions, give it a read! I have some other ideas for one shots, too, to just flesh things out and add to the story. If you have ideas, I'm listening!


	33. Chats and Battle Cries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pleasant evening goes wrong on Concordia, while Anakin is warned to be mindful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many great comments on the last chapter! Thanks as always! You all are the best!

_ 20 BBY _

Bo-Katan juggled both her dinner tray as well as Ursa’s, who was busy juggling Sabine, and weaved her way through the tables in the mess to where Tol’ket sat alone, poring over a datapad while he ate.

"Do you ever stop working?" Bo asked in greeting as she set the trays down across from him.

He looked up at her, gestured with his fork at the datapad tucked under her arm. "Do you?"

She chuckled as she sat down. "Fair."

He watched curiously as Ursa shoved a fussing Sabine into Bo’s arms. “Here, take her for a second, this is always easier when you’re around.”

As Ursa undid the clasps on her chestplate, Tol’ket, suddenly realizing what was about to transpire, paled a bit and quickly turned to look squarely at Bo. She smirked at him, but decided to not tease him about his sudden prudishness. He watched Bo for a moment as she bounced Sabine.

“I never took you as the maternal type,” he said gruffly.

Bo shrugged. “I’m not. I just like kids.”

As Ursa took Sabine back and began to feed her, Tol’ket glanced around the mess hall. “Death Watch seems far more family friendly than I would have imagined.” 

Bo, chewing a bite of flat bread, turned and followed where he was looking. To her, it was just a typical evening. There were a handful of families in their ranks, and this time of the evening, the mess hall usually rang with the voices of children playing as the adults not on duty relaxed.

“Pre all but encouraged procreating,” Ursa explained as she began the miraculous act of eating while nursing Sabine. “He was all for building Death Watch by any and every means possible. We have quite a few foundlings, too.”

Tol’ket nodded, clearly rolling the new information about Vizsla around in his head as he took another bite of stew. “Do Protectors not have families?” Bo asked.

“Oh, of course they do. Quite a few do, actually. I guess we just don’t have the little ones right in the thick of it.”

“We were considered all but a terrorist organization until recently,” Ursa said. “We couldn’t exactly buy homes and settle down. So, we made the best of a rough situation.” 

“Hmm,” he hummed noncommittally, as he watched a small group of toddlers, a few distinctly  _ not  _ human, play nearby. 

He turned back to Bo, pushing his empty tray away and leaning back in his chair with his caf. Bo wondered if he ever drank anything other than caf and  _ tihaar.  _ He always seemed to have a caf cup within reach. 

“I’m surprised you don’t retire for the evening up to that cushy governor’s mansion,” he said, his tone teasing.

Ursa shifted uncomfortably next to Bo-Katan, her eyes flicking to Bo’s face, gauging Bo’s reaction to what should have been a harmless question.

“I, uh, have a few too many memories up there. Too many ghosts I rather not spend more time with than necessary,” Bo said, knowing the answer was cryptic, but not caring to go into her long history of too many nights in the brutal company of Pre Vizsla.

She watched Tol’ket’s face for a long moment. His dark brows knitted together in contemplation, then a shadow of disgust crossed his features. He understood. The man was astute, Bo was quickly coming to realize.

He shook his head, as if to clear his sudden dark thoughts, and took a sip of his caf. Bo and Ursa ate in silence for a minute, though Ursa’s eyes darted between Bo and Tol’ket, watching them in the suddenly heavy silence. 

The silence was broken when Ursa’s commlink went off. “Oh! Excellent,” she exclaimed, smiling like a lovesick schoolgirl. “She’s done, Bo, will you take her while I talk to Alrich?” She stood, fumbling with the front of her armor while holding out Sabine.

Bo took Sabine and cradled her in her arms while Ursa left the table, activating her comm, greeting Alrich happily as she made her way out of the mess.

Tol’ket leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, closing the distance between him and Bo. 

“Can I ask you a personal question?” he asked, tentatively.

Bo shrugged, pushing her tray away and shifting Sabine to lay in her lap, playing with her kicking feet. “You can ask, but that doesn’t guarantee I’ll answer.”

He snorted a laugh. “Fair enough.” He squirmed uncomfortably for a moment before pressing on. “Are you and Ursa... _ together _ ?”

“That,” Bo said, laughing, “was Ursa’s husband. Sabine’s father.”

“Oh,” Tol’ket said, chuckling a bit sheepishly.

“Don’t get me wrong, Tol’ket. I love her, and if our paths had crossed at a different point in time, well, who knows.” She looked down at Sabine, who was smiling broadly up at her. She tickled her tiny sides, smiling at her face that already looked much like Ursa's.

"You and Ursa seem extremely close," he said quietly. She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't look up from the baby in her lap.

She sighed. "She's my rock. I'm not sure I would be sitting here right now if she hadn't been with me the last ten years. I definitely wouldn't have had the balls to take down Pre."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Hmm. You assume you know me, understand me, Tol'ket, but there is a  _ a lot  _ you don't know about me."

His brow quirked up, almost amused. "I would never assume anything about you, Bo-Katan. You have done nothing but surprise me, usually pleasantly, since we met." He gently laid a hand across her hand that rested on the table. Smiled ever so slightly. "I look forward to you continuing to surprise me."

Bo’s instinctual reaction was to stiffen, pull away, but the weight of his hand felt nice. Grounding. Astute as Tol’ket was, he gave her hand a squeeze then pulled back, as if he was gentling a wild blurrg, quietly acclimating a skittish creature to a kind touch.

She changed the subject quickly, to not linger on the thoughts she was having. “Alright,  _ ner vod,  _ if we’re getting personal, may I ask  _ you _ a personal question?”

He leaned back once again in his chair, giving her a rakish smile. “Be my guest.”

“A few weeks ago, when I grabbed your stim shot, I noticed your full name-  _ Edean _ Tol’ket. Why do you go by only your family name, and not your given name?”

A shadow crossed his face. “You don’t have to answer,” she said, wondering if the question was  _ too  _ personal.

“No, no, it’s fine. I...I don’t really talk about it, is all.” He tipped forward again, leaning on the table, cleared his throat. “I’m named after my father. When our mother passed away, our father left all of us with his father to raise. Which was fine. My  _ ba’buir  _ was an incredible, noble man, and he made all of us want to emulate him. Our father was an ass.

_ "Ba’buir  _ had been a Protector. He actually served under your grandfather. When the war started,  _ ba’buir  _ wouldn’t sit at home, watching others fight. He joined up, and we all followed suit, fighting for Clan Kryze. Our father joined Death Watch.”

Bo’s eyes went large. “Oh.”

Tol’ket shrugged. “These things happen in civil wars. But, really, that was forgivable. What wasn’t forgivable was my father killing his own father in cold blood. He pulled his helmet off so  _ ba’buir  _ could see his face. So  _ I  _ could see his face. There were three of us there, his own children, and he killed our guardian, the man who had loved us and cared for us more than our own father, right in front of us. Then,” he sighed, “I killed him.

“So, I refuse to honor his memory by using the name he gave me. I use my family name because it came from my grandfather. It was his name first. Edean was a hellish brute of a man. I try not to be, though I am less successful than I'd like to be at times. I want to be noble, like  _ ba’buir. _ Fuck Edean and his name.”

Bo-Katan blinked. “ _ Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori’wadaas’la,  _ Tol’ket.” 

He shrugged again. “This is the Way.” His commlink went off, then. He grumbled at the interruption and stood. “I’m sorry, Bo. This has been exceptionally pleasant, but duty calls.” He moved around the table, leaned over Bo’s shoulder, and smiled down at Sabine, still in Bo’s lap. “Farewell, littlest warrior,” he said, running a finger down Sabine’s chubby cheek. Straightening, he squeezed Bo’s shoulder, the weight again feeling grounding to Bo. Without a word, he turned away and strode out of the mess hall.

Bo settled Sabine into the crook of her arm and looked down at her. “He is problematic, ad’ika.”

* * *

  
  


Anakin would never understand the Coruscanti need for constant cocktail parties. The people were far too damn fake, and, as a kid who grew up drinking the strong black ale,  _ ne'tra gal,  _ and the potentially blinding  _ tihaar,  _ the flowery cocktails and fruity wines served at these things made his teeth feel like they would rot out of his head (he had finally learned that Corellian whiskey was both socially acceptable in this environment and palatable).

This particular event, held at the Ryloth senator, Orn Free Ta's, opulent apartment, was the second one he and Padme had attended in the handful of days they had been planetside. The press of over perfumed bodies, the swirl of unchecked emotions and thoughts, and the ever present oppressive darkness was only made bearable by Padme’s comforting, grounding physical presence. She instinctually seemed to understand what he needed and always had a hand gently placed on his back or in the crook of his elbow. She was his savior.

As was his father, apparently, at this particular moment. His commlink went off, flagged urgent. He made his apologies to the small group of senators he and Padme had been chatting with, and escaped to the cold relief of an empty balcony.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?”

“Hello, Anakin. I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” the shimmery blue image of Obi-Wan greeted.

“Quite the opposite. You rescued me from another horrible party.” Anakin made a face as he shivered slightly in the cold breeze. He almost instantly regretted not having a coat. As a child of the desert who grew up in a climate controlled domed city, this whole winter business was not something he enjoyed.

“I should have tried harder to fake enjoyment of all those state functions we dragged you to as a child,” Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. “If I’d known you would grow up to be a senator, I would have prepared you better.”

Anakin smiled at the memories. “What’s up, Dad? You flagged this urgent.”

“Yes, Anakin, we have had an interesting day here. It seems Darth Maul surrendered himself to Bo-Katan and Death Watch.”

“ _ What? _ !” Anakin noticed that several people closest to the transparisteel wall between him and the party jerked their heads around to him in surprise. He sheepishly moved further out onto the wide balcony. “He  _ surrendered?” _

“Indeed. He walked out of the forest, handed them his lightsaber, and allowed himself to be taken into custody.” Obi-Wan rubbed his chin with a bit of a nervous energy. “But that isn’t why I called.”

“No?”

“No. Anakin, he says his former master is working to get to you. To turn you to the dark.” He sighed, his face etched with worry. “I was thinking about what he said on the shuttle back to Sundari today, and what Count Dooku said…”

“And that must mean his master is here on Coruscant,” Anakin finished the thought, a cold chill that had nothing to do with the temperature ran down his spine.

“He all but admitted that. But he won’t say who this master is. Other than we’re looking for someone who goes by the name of Darth Sidious.”

What...what should I do?” Anakin asked, turning around to face the party. He watched the people in Free Ta’s apartment, mingling and gossiping, brokering deals and treaties. Most of these people were more or less harmless, some tainted with varying degrees of greed and corruption. But a  _ Sith Lord?  _ It was a big leap. Could it be some underworld crime boss? He scrubbed his hand over his face in frustration.

“Be mindful of your thoughts and feelings. Be mindful of the influence people have on you or try to have on you. Meditate and stay centered. Observe and trust your instincts.” Obi-Wan growled in frustration. “It all sounds so trite out loud, my bright one, but it’s all I can think to tell you right now.”

“No, no. It’s good advice. Thanks, Dad.”

“I will be speaking to the Jedi Council about what I was told. Whether they will listen or not we will have to see,” Obi-Wan said, resignation thick in his voice. 

Anakin nodded, still scanning the party goers. Padme and Bail were speaking with the Chancellor, who had just arrived.  _ Trust your instincts.  _ Hmmm…

“Alright, Anakin. Go back to your party. Give Padme our love,” Obi-Wan said, forcing a bit more cheer into his voice. “I must go relieve Korkie of Lily duty before he disowns me.”

Anakin laughed. “Alright. Bye Dad, love you. Tell Mum I love her, too.”

“Goodbye, my bright one. Much love.”

The holo blinked out. Anakin leaned back on the railing for a moment, staring blankly at the crowd. At Chancellor Palpatine.  _ Trust your instincts.  _ Then he shook his head. He was being ridiculous. 

He went back in, back to Padme, who smiled up at him as she tried to rub the cold out of him and the Chancellor greeted him.  _ Trust your instincts. _

* * *

  
  


Maul accepted the hospitality of a warm meal. If Death Watch could be gracious hosts, he could be a gracious guest. 

He rested for a few hours, though he had been meditating off and on throughout his stay. Rest wasn't imminently necessary. Then, as a Protector, a new one- a shift change had occurred- patrolled down the corridor in front of his cell, he reached out through the Force and found the man’s windpipe. 

“No hard feelings, my friend, but I must be off,” he said as the breath of life left the man. When the man went limp, he dropped him, letting him crumple to the floor. Then, reaching through the Force once again, he found the locking mechanism to his door and disengaged it. He stepped out, stepped over the lifeless body of the Protector, and ambled down the corridor, toward the exit. 

“Wait!” A hulking, square jawed brute of a Mandalorian stepped to the front of his cell. “Let the rest of us out.”

Maul sneered at him. “And why would I do such a thing?”

“I heard what you said to the  _ jetii  _ and that bitch, Bo-Katan, and her friends. I know you don’t plan to help them. I have a feeling we can help you. But you have to let us out.”

Maul turned his gaze back down the corridor. A dozen or so Mandalorians watched him with anticipation. “ _ All  _ of you?”

The man nodded. “We were all betrayed by Bo-Katan. She killed our rightful leader.”

“I have no quarrel with Lady Bo-Katan,” Maul said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“No, but I think you do have one with her nephew. We can help.”

Maul studied him for a moment. “My ship is five clicks northwest of the compound. If you make it there before I take off, we will talk. You are on your own until then.” With a flick of his wrist, he disengaged all of the doors at once. Then, he turned on his heel and went out into the night.

* * *

  
  
  


The sirens jolted Bo-Katan from her sleep, her heart hammering in her chest. 

_ Maul _ .

Within a second, she had leapt out of her bed and grabbed her belt and holsters, not even bothering with her armor. She ran headlong into Ursa in their tiny living area. “Get Sabine and the younglings to the safe room. Protect them at all costs.” With that, she ran out into the night, into chaos.

Death Watch commandos, those who had not been in bed, were running or flying around the compound, exchanging fire with men wearing detention jumpsuits, clearly having raided a weapons locker somewhere.

“No. Oh no,” she gasped, pulling her blasters and joining the fray.

Tol’ket’s Protectors were scrambling their own defense, their beskads at the ready as they moved as one toward a particular wild spot of mayhem. Speeder bikes and mech benches and random pieces of structural supports were being tossed through the air, aimed at the Protectors, knocking them down or sending them flying through the air. It was like there was an invisible cyclone, destroying everything in its path in an attempt to get rid of the Protectors.

The cyclone came into view. Maul.

He caught sight of her, catching her gaze, before sliding his eyes to her waist. It was then she remembered she had clipped his heavy lightsaber to her belt all those hours ago, when he’d presented himself to her like a gift wrapped package. 

Suddenly, an invisible force clamped down on her throat, lifting her in the air, and dragged her within reach of Maul.

“I’m sorry to leave in such a hurry, Lady Bo-Katan,” he purred, unclipping his weapon from her belt. She clawed at her neck, at the invisible hand that held fast. “You have been nothing but a gracious host, but I do have other matters to attend to.” Bo’s vision started to tunnel, growing dark at the edges. Her lungs burned. She watched in horror as he ignited his lightsaber- two angry red blades, so unlike the deep, dark blackness of the darksaber or the cool blue of Kenobi’s Jedi weapon. Maul grinned malovently at her. “Have no fear, Lady Bo-Katan. This is not intended for you.”

With a flick of his arm, the unseen force holding her tight tossed her like a ragdoll. She landed in a painful heap, several meters from where she had been, what little air that had been left in her lungs rushed out of them in a mighty gust. 

Her whole body screamed for air. She lay on the ground, gasping, trying to pull in as much as she could through her bruised windpipe. Her instincts told her to get up and fight, but her muscles screamed for oxygen. 

A heavy boot kicked her in the ribs, sending her body screaming all over again. She felt the all too familiar crack of ribs. The boot kicked her again- more cracking- then stepped on her chest, holding her down, the weight nearly unbearable on her stressed and painful lungs. She looked up at her attacker.

Saxon.

He leveled some Protector’s slugthrower at her head. “You’re a traitorous whore, Bo-Katan. This is for Vizsla.” Her mind  _ screamed  _ for her body to do something. It should know how to right this situation in her favor. But her body couldn’t react.

She heard the click of the slugthrower chambering a round.

_ Shit. _

Then a bang, and Saxon reeled backwards, releasing her chest. Bo rolled to her side, forcing herself upright, only to watch Saxon, blood pouring from his chest, raise his slugthrower. She turned, as best she could, as he fired at his attacker, but the shot went wide. Tol’ket took aim and fired again, this time hitting Saxon square in the gut. The man seemed unstoppable, unphased by two very serious wounds.

Saxon changed tactics and leveled his weapon back at Bo-Katan. 

“Leave her,  _ chakaar,  _ or so help me you’ll wish my next shot went to your useless brain instead of where I’m aiming,” Tol’ket warned.

Saxon sneered, chambering another round, only to be distracted by a speeder bike. It slowed just enough for the wounded man to jump on behind another prisoner. In a blink, they were both gone, Tol’ket firing after them, only winging the speeder and the driver’s shoulder.

“ _ Harr’chak!”  _ he bellowed into the night sky.

He turned to her, dropping to his knees beside her. “Are you alright?”

“Go, Tol’ket, you should go with your men,” she croaked. Her throat felt like a hot poker had been shoved down it.

“No, they’re fine. I’m out of ammo, anyway. Are you alright?” He brushed her hair out of her face.

She attempted to push herself upright, hissed in pain. “I’ve been better.”

“Stay still. Let me get a medic.” She barely registered what he said as she caught sight of the compound around them. Bodies of her Death Watch and Protectors alike lay scattered. A fire burned in the mech bay. She could see the bright, fiery tails of jetpacks off in the distance, clearly searching the forests around them for signs of Maul and the escaped defectors.

“No, no, no. Oh fuck,” she groaned. “This is a disaster. This is all my fault.” Barely two months in charge. That’s all it took before her own men and women were killed, at home, where they should have been safe. 

Tol’ket placed gentle hands on her shoulders. “This is  _ not  _ your fault, Bo-Katan. Do you hear me? Maul is not like us.” He grasped her chin, tipped her head up to look at him. “This isn’t your fault. You were dealing with a man who has all the same magic as Obi-Wan and the kids, but uses it for evil.” He swiped away a tear she hadn’t realized had fallen. “We did everything we could do. We did everything right. We’re still doing it.” He gestured toward the forest where Death Watch and Protectors searched. 

“I failed them, Tol’ket. I am not good enough to lead them,” she whispered, biting back a sob.

“You did not fail them and you are a born leader. Steady on, Bo.” 

He pulled her into his arms, and for once, she didn’t flinch or resist at his touch. He gently pushed her head down against his chest and held her; a loose, soft embrace, as if not to make her claustrophobic. He quietly commed for a medic.

As they waited, he rubbed circles into the aching muscles of her back while she watched her commandos put out the fire in the mech bay. “We’ll get them, Bo. They won’t win. We won’t let them,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her hair.

She nodded against his chest as the medics, Ursa running behind, came into view. She prayed to their ancestors that Tol’ket was right. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, Bo-Katan.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Ba'buir- grandparent  
> Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori’wadaas’la- Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be. (Settle down, settle down, Bo'ket shippers).  
> Chaakar- more or less scumbag, in this context (literally "grave robber").
> 
> Fun fact: I just rewatched the Siege of Mandalore arc, so if you're looking for a visual of the chaos Maul is reeking on the Death Watch compound prior to taking his lightsaber back from Bo-Katan, think post Ahsoka freeing him to cause a distraction. 
> 
> We need another wedding or something. These poor people can't catch a break.


	34. Offense. Defense.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Middle of the night discussions occur regarding the best way to deal with the aftermath of Maul on Concordia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for the tardiness of this chapter! I've spoiled you with consistent and quick updates. Life decided I needed to attend to actual responsibilities this week....but I also got massively sidetracked by some stuff from much later in the story that DEMANDED my undivided attention. I'm glad I allowed it, because I see a clear path from here by devoting some time to one scene in particular, but, goodness, I wish I could just go from here to there RIGHT NOW, because it's going to be a ROMP.
> 
> Not thrilled with this chapter, but some of these things need to be said.

_20 BBY_

Something woke Satine but she wasn’t sure what it was. 

She lay still in their dark room, Obi-Wan sound asleep, snoring softly, arm draped over her middle protectively or possessively (she had never really been able to decide which it was). It must have been some dream that woke her, if Obi-Wan was still asleep. 

She closed her eyes, only to hear it again. The soft tinkle of their suite’s door chime. Obi-Wan stirred this time, though didn’t quite wake. She glanced at the chrono on her bedside table as she gently shook him. It was late in the night. Or, more accurately, exceedingly early in the morning. She shoved him again, harder this time. “Obi-Wan,” she whispered.

The door slid open and a Protector stepped in, averting his eyes from the bed. Satine didn’t recognize him with the bright light of the hall casting him into shadows. Finally, Obi-Wan woke up, impressively going from dead to the world to fully awake and, judging from the tension in his muscles, battle ready in a blink of an eye.

“Aled? What the blazes?” he growled at the Protector, calling the darksaber to his hand through the Force. Satine rolled her eyes.

“My apologies Mand’alor, Duchess,” Aled said, bowing in an attempt to hide his flinch at the sight of his Mand’alor taking up a weapon. Satine recognized him now, at least his voice. He was a young thing, a fairly new Protector. She wondered if this was some sort of hazing, to send the poor lad to wake his Mand’alor and Duchess. “There is an urgent call from Captain Tol’ket and Governor Kryze,” the boy explained, keeping his eyes cast down to avoid any impropriety. She would put in a good word for him with Tol’ket later.

Obi-Wan was already climbing out of their bed, bare chested and grumbling. “Fine, fine. This can’t be good. Tell them we will be there in a moment.” The young man bowed again, and, turning so quickly he nearly ran into the door frame, scurried out and back down the hall. Satine decided, as she climbed out of bed, that she would also have a word with Tol’ket about any sort of hazing that may occur in the Protectors ranks. 

“Ben, what do you think this is about?” she asked as she wrapped herself in a robe after briefly considering getting properly dressed.

Obi-Wan slipped on a loose tunic and ran a hand through his hair. “Maul, I’m sure. I should have stayed.” A dark, angry look crossed his face for a moment, before he shook his head. “It wasn’t fair to leave Tol’ket and Bo-Katan alone to deal with him.”

Satine moved around the bed to Obi-Wan and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You hardly left them alone and defenseless. You have trained Tol’ket and these Protectors exceedingly well, my love. And Bo-Katan and her people are ruthless and cunning warriors. I’m sure they could handle this and allow you the chance to sleep at home in your bed with your wife.”

He kissed her head, and took her hand, leading her out of their suite. “I hope you are right my dear.”

The holo that awaited them when they reached the Protectors’ offices was not a good one. 

Tol’ket, a woman Obi-Wan told Satine was called Ursa Wren, and another man wearing Death Watch armor,introduced as Greer, were crammed tightly together around Bo-Katan, who was propped up in a cot in some med bay. Save for the Wren woman, they all look battle worn, at best. Tol’ket’s armor was splattered with mud or, Satine feared, possibly blood, and he had a ragged cut above one eye. The other man’s right eye was blackened and swollen shut, his arm was in a makeshift sling. Bo-Katan was the worst of all. Even through the distortion of the hologram, Satine could see a dark, vibrant bloom of bruises around her neck. She held herself rigid, clearly in pain, and wore an oxygen mask, fighting to breathe properly.

“Bo!” Satine exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Bo said gruffly through the mask.

“She’s lying,” Tol’ket and the Wren woman said in unison, and then flashed each other knowing smirks. 

“I’m not the concern here,” Bo said, voice harsh and rasping as she pulled down the mask. “Maul has escaped, and he set loose all of the defectors.” She started coughing, grimacing in pain, before the Wren woman gently nudged the mask back toward her face. It was a loving, sisterly gesture, and Satine felt an irrational pang of jealousy over it. _She_ should be the one reminding her sister to take care of herself, not this House Vizsla woman. 

She shook her head to focus on the discussion and not on her petty, silly feelings. 

“We had fourteen defectors in custody,” the man called Greer was saying. “Four of them were killed in the fire fight that broke out, three were recaptured. We may find more in the forest by the light of day.”

“And Saxon?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“We haven’t found him yet, sir,” Greer said.

“We’ll find him dead in the forest,” Ursa Wren said, sitting down on the edge of Bo’s cot. “Tol’ket shot the bastard twice with a _slugthrower._ I’m sure he’s bled out and is a corpse by this point.”

Obi-Wan looked shocked. “You shot him and he still got away?” he asked Tol’ket. Satine felt the same shock. Tol’ket was an expert marksman, an absolute deadly shot.

“I did not expect the man to walk away from a shot to the chest at practically point blank range, let alone a follow up gut shot. I should have shot him in the head,” Tol’ket said angrily, clenching his fists. Ursa patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

“He’s a cockroach,” Bo-Katan said, pulling her mask back down. “Don’t be too confident that he’s dead and gone.” There was an extra note of anger and sharpness to Bo’s comment. A bite to it that was harsh even for Bo. Satine then remembered, after Obi-Wan, Tol’ket, and Bo had interrogated Saxon, Obi-Wan telling her there was some sort of history, some bad blood between the two, beyond the whole usurping Death Watch leadership. Frustratingly, he would never go into it, telling Satine, in his infuriating, reasonable way, that it was Bo’s story to tell, not his.

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “And I assume Maul is also gone.”

“Yes, sir,” Greer said, looking displeased.

“And what of our forces? Casualties?” Satine marveled a little at how easily Obi-Wan slipped into this role, sounding far more like a general than a peacekeeping Jedi.

“Seven Protectors were killed, six of Death Watch,” Tol’ket grumbled. “We’re still tallying injuries, besides the obvious ones here in the room.” He gestured at Greer and Bo-Katan. 

Obi-Wan swore under his breath. Satine felt as if she’d been punched. The last time they’d had an encounter with Maul on Mandalorian soil, they had lost good men then, too.

Obi-Wan sighed raggedly. "Where do we think they're heading?"

"Carlac," Ursa growled. Bo-Katan nodded behind her oxygen mask. 

"How can we be so sure?" Satine asked.

Tol'ket leaned against the headrest on Bo-Katan's cot, looking weary. "It makes sense, your grace. We know the other defectors headed there. They must have resources, possibly allies. The most logical conclusion is that they would rendezvous with those already there."

"I agree," Obi-Wan said, nodding. "We should send out some reconnaissance ships, see what information we can gather regarding their situation on Carlac. See if Maul is joining them there for some reason. From there, we can plan how best to proceed."

"We can do that," Bo said from behind her mask.

"Good. I’ll leave you to it,” Obi-Wan said. “I expect regular updates. Once we have a firm understanding of their resources, we’ll plan an offensive from there.”

“Yes, Mand’alor,” the group said in unison.

The holoprojector went dark, and Obi-Wan took Satine’s hand and led her back toward their suite in the private residence wing of the palace. 

“You’re far too good at leading an army, my dear Obi-Wan,” she said quietly.

He gave a shrug. “They are well organized and well trained with good leadership already in place. It’s easy enough.”

Satine pursed her lips, hummed a noncommittal response. She remained silent until they crossed the threshold of their bedroom and the door slid shut behind them. Then she whirled on him.

“There will be no strikes on Carlac, Obi-Wan.”

He froze halfway toward the bed. “I’m sorry?”

“You heard me, Obi-Wan. We agreed Death Watch would be for defensive actions only. We will not move on Carlac.”

He moved toward her, took her hand, which she snatched away, crossing her arms across her chest. “My dear, I hardly think that cleaning up the remnants of a group of homicidal terrorists counts as declaring war. Saxon tried to kill you, my love. How is this not defense?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “We’re speaking of, what? Twenty, thirty defectors? I hardly consider this a great threat against Mandalore. Leave them be until such time that they actually _do_ something other than run away.”

“Satine…”

“I will not stand for it, Obi-Wan. Let your army do their snooping, but after that, they are to stand down.”

“Satine, I don’t want to pull rank on you with this,” Obi-Wan said, turning toward the expansive windows on one side of the suite, chin resting pensively in his hand. The dome was just starting to lighten with the rising sun. 

Satine stood in the middle of the room, arms at her side. “Then don’t.” He turned back to her, studying her. “Don’t, Obi-Wan. Let us be a united front on this.”

He looked at her long and hard, his face unreadable. She wished she had his gifts in moments like this. She was sure he could sense her emotions, her feelings, but she wished she could get some sort of clue on him in moments like this.

Finally, he closed the distance between them, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. _This_ was not at all what she was expecting, but the surprise of it caught her flat footed. She gave into it, melted into the embrace, kissed him back with matching intensity.

He finally pulled back, met her eyes. “Alright, my love. We will wait. I will stand with you on this.”

She smiled and kissed him again. He backed her up to the bed until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, then lowered her down to the plush coverlet. His intentions became clear very quickly, as he opened her robe and moved his lips down the length of her neck to her chest, humming appreciatively as he went.

She stopped, pushed him away to arm’s length, and his face fell. “Ben, dear, while this is very nice and I will most definitely allow it to continue, promise me you’ll stop trying to distract me from hard conversations with love making.”

He pushed her down against the mattress, kneeled between her legs, and smirked at her. “My love, there are many things I can promise you. That is not one of them.” She laughed, at least until he took her breath away.

* * *

  
  


“We won’t move on Carlac,” Bo-Katan rasped out, her throat burning. 

She had dismissed Greer to get his face and kriffed up arm dealt with (she was sure it was badly broken and she was sure he was flying high on stims to not notice the awkward way it hung from his elbow while out of the sling). She was alone with Ursa and Tol’ket, and she _knew_ Satine was on Mandalore, right at this moment, telling her husband, the karking Mand’alor, for Force sake, to not move on Carlac.

Ursa looked disbelieving. Tol’ket nodded sagely in agreement. “No. We won’t.” He sighed heavily. “The Duchess will not allow us to do anything that resembles an offensive strike.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Ursa shouted. “Saxon has now tried to kill her, framed her for murder, and came close to murdering you. We won’t even talk about all the _osik_ he pulled when fucking Vizsla was still around.”

“I _know_ it’s ridiculous,” Bo grunted as she pulled the oxygen mask off again. “She is too idealistic and foolish. The only time violence is acceptable in her silly blonde head is when it is in direct defense of her. Or if she’s really kriffed off and she pretends not to know about it.” She was wheezing now, her lungs burning. Tol’ket reached over and placed the mask back over her face. She scowled at him and his attentiveness. Then she read the look on his face. She yanked the mask back down. “You _agree_ with her!”

He batted her hand away and shoved the mask back up. “Stop it. You’re no good to us oxygen deprived. And I don’t _agree_ with her, but I serve at the pleasure of the Duchess, Bo-Katan, and as much as I would love to go and blow them off the face of that rock, I won’t do it without her blessing.”

“This is bantha shit,” Bo growled, ignoring the fact that even with the oxygen, she was struggling to breath and her heart was racing. 

Tol’ket lay a strong, grounding hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I know, Bo, but this is the system we agreed to work within.”

Damn him and his logic. Bo lay her head back against the pillows that propped her up. She looked at Ursa. “At least let’s get some ships up. You know who to send.”

Ursa gave a quick, sharp nod. “On it, boss.” With that, her friend turned on her heel and left, happy to have some sort of task to keep her mind off her frustrations.

Bo was not so lucky, stuck as she was in the med bay. “At least someone could get me a datapad so I can get some work done,” she growled in frustration.

Tol’ket brushed hair out of her face. “Or, you know, you could close your eyes and _rest.”_

“Maybe you could mind your own damn business,” she barked at him.

He sat down in the chair next to her cot, propped his feet up on the edge of it. “You kinda are my business these days, Bo.”

She tried to shove his feet off, but her broken ribs caught, leaving her gasping. “Kriff off, Tol’ket.”

He chuckled obnoxiously. “You actually liked me a little while ago. I think oxygen deprivation is making you crankier than normal.”

She started to retort, but was interrupted by the medic. “Bacta tank is free, boss. You’re next.”

“No.” Bo hated the bacta tank. And she didn’t want to be out of commission for the time a bacta swim would take.

“Yes,” the medic said. She moved to give Bo a sedative. “You’re just going to take a nap, and when you wake up, you’re going to reek of bacta but you’ll be able to breathe and maybe you’ll stop biting this handsome Protector’s head off.” 

Tol’ket stood to make room for the medic, took Bo’s hand as the sedative was injected. “She’ll still bite my head off. That’s nothing new.”

“You’re a bastard, Tol’ket,” Bo muttered, her eyes getting heavy.

“I know, Bo. I’ll be here when you wake up.” The last thing she felt was that grounding feeling of his hand squeezing hers as she drifted off, dreaming of red and black faces squeezing her lifeless with invisible magic, and Saxon with his gun at her head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally have nothing to add (possibly because it's the middle of the night). There's not even any good Mando'a to translate. 
> 
> FYI, this delay will be a nice warm up. I am traveling for over a week starting Wednesday. I highly doubt I'll be writing, editing, and posting while I'm gone, so be advised there may be a significant break coming up. I HAVEN'T ABANDONED YOU. I'm just getting some quality time in with some humans I enjoy, while social distancing properly and wearing masks.
> 
> Thanks, as usual, for being fabulous and encouraging!


	35. Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just a little harmless adventure. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life did NOT get in the way of this chapter. Enjoy! And thanks a million, per usual.

_ 20 BBY _

Anakin took a deep, centering breath as he stood on the edge of the public transport dock in Sundari. The tension he constantly held while on Coruscant was slowly working its way out of his muscles and mind now that he was home. Though Padme’s plan was certainly not helping in the relief of said tension.

“I still think I should go with you two,” he said, squeezing Padme’s hand as they watched the transport land. 

“You know you can’t, Ani,” Padme said, remarkably patient for having repeated this same line of discussion countless times already. “It’s bad enough Ahsoka and I are going. If word got out that you, a senator from a neutral system, particularly the one that  _ leads  _ the neutral systems, traveled to a Separatist planet, you would be marked a traitor without question. At least I can say Mina Bonteri is my friend if I’m caught or found out.” She squeezed his hand in return, then reached up and caressed his cheek. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got Ahsoka.” She glanced at the Padawan, who gave her a mischievous little smirk from under the hood of her cloak.

Anakin growled in frustration. Because he  _ knew  _ Padme was right. “I know, I know. I just...worry.” 

Padme raised up on her toes and kissed him softly. “I know you do, but don’t.” She glanced over her shoulder at the transport. “Now, we have to go, and quickly, before you blow our cover.” She kissed him once more, picked up her travel case, and was moving off toward the transport, confident and self assured, as always.

“Be careful, Snips. Don’t do anything reckless,” he said as Ahsoka went to follow Padme. 

She turned, rolled her eyes, and smiled cheekily. “You're one to talk. Besides, I already got a mom lecture from your mother, Skyguy. I don’t need one from you, too.”

“Well, you know she’s right,” he chuckled as she moved away, hurrying to catch up with Padme.

“Yeah? Then you should probably listen to her a little more often, too,” she called over her shoulder. Padme clearly had heard the exchange, as he could see her shoulders shaking with laughter under her cloak as she boarded the transport, Ahsoka a few steps behind.

He stood in the shadows and watched them board, then watched the transport take flight. He stood and watched until it disappeared, somewhere high above in Mandalore’s atmosphere. Then he said some old Mando’a prayer of protection his mother had taught him once as a boy, before turning to head back toward the palace. 

He had his own adventures to get into.

* * *

  
  


As Anakin suspected, he found Lily in the training gymnasium. It was rare that Lily did anything else, once home from the academy for the day, before she headed to the gym for some sort of lesson or sparring session, or just to run around and get under foot. He recognized the restless, kinetic energy she dealt with as his own. Despite their lack of blood relation, he had come to recognize Lily as a kindred spirit due to their complete inability to sit still.

Today, apparently, was a lesson in hand to hand combat with Bo-Katan.

Anakin joined Tol’ket, who was standing near the mats, arms crossed, watching intently. Lily grappled with Bo, clearly giving the older, taller, terrifyingly skilled woman a good run for her credits. In one quick, deft move, Lily swept Bo’s legs out and had her pinned instantly. Bo tapped out. “ _ Jate,  _ Lily. Try again,” Bo encouraged as she climbed to her feet. Lily’s eyes danced with delight.

“Doesn’t Bo-Katan have a moon to govern?” Anakin asked Tol’ket as they watched.

Tol’ket grunted a laugh. “She had meetings with your father today. Now she’s just killing time, making your sister even more scary.”

Anakin watched his sister with appreciation. At twelve, she was truly starting to show her Kryze height, and while she was all limbs and pointy knees and elbows right now, she was quickly becoming  _ very _ strong and  _ very _ agile. Despite her connection to the Force, she rarely seemed to need it, at least not consciously. Anakin was no slouch, nor was Korkie, in any and all methods of Mandalorian warrior skills, but they both called upon the Force almost constantly in the heat of a fight. Even now, as Lily pummeled their aunt into the mats, she did it under her own means. Her own carefully honed skills. He was a little jealous.

Then Bo got the upper hand, spun Lily around, and put her in a choke hold. Anakin was no longer jealous. Tol’ket barked a laugh at the stunned look on Lily’s face. Lily tapped Bo’s arm, but Bo didn’t immediately release her, just loosened the hold.

“Why’d that happen?” she asked.

“I got cocky and sloppy,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. 

Bo smiled up at Tol’ket. “She  _ can  _ be taught.” Then let Lily go. 

“That’s enough for both of you, anyway,” Tol’ket said. “I shouldn’t have let either of you go that hard.” He offered them both a hand up off the floor. “Last thing I need is either of you having a setback in your healing. The Duchess would kill me herself.”

“No she wouldn’t, and you’re not my mother, Tol’ket. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Bo groused, slapping Anakin on the shoulder in greeting as she passed, following Tol’ket toward his office. Anakin listened to them continue to bicker as they disappeared out the doorway, shaking his head. 

Lily walked over to Anakin, then collapsed dramatically at his feet. “Ugh. She kicked my shebs.” She called a water bottle to her through the Force. Anakin shook his head at the questionable use of Force, but didn’t lecture her. It’s not like he didn’t constantly drag things to him out of sheer laziness. Lily took a long drink of water before looking back up at Anakin. “Why are you here, anyway?” 

“You have the manners of an ill tempered tooka, Lily,” he scolded.

“I learned from the best,” she said, smirking up at him. “But, really, aren’t you supposed to be working or something?”

He sat down on the floor next to her. “I came with Padme and Ahsoka who are off to visit a family friend of Padme’s. So, since I  _ do  _ actually have to be back at the Senate to do some work, but I’ll be alone and bored with some free time, I’m taking you and Korkie with me for a little sibling bonding time.” He smiled, waiting for the reaction.

Her eyes went round and her jaw fell open. Then she screeched and propelled herself at him, tackling him in a hug. “ _ Really?!  _ Oh, stars! What are we going to do? Can we go to Dex’s? Can we go to the lower levels? We should go to the ruins at the very bottom. Oh, that would be  _ fun.  _ And-”

“First, we definitely will  _ not  _ be going to the ruins. How did you even hear about those?” Anakin asked, peeling her off of him so he could stand up. “But we will definitely go to Dex’s and a few other places I think you’ll like. But I do have some work to do, and the only way Mum is letting this happen is if you bring your schoolwork, so you have work, too.”

“Oh, come on! That’s not fair!”

“Hey, vod’ika, take it up with management.” He offered her a hand up. “Go take a shower and pack. You’ve got an hour.”

He never saw his sister move so fast. 

* * *

Tol’ket tossed Bo-Katan a clean towel as they slipped from the gym into the main part of the palace. She wiped the sweat from her eyes as she half listened to Tol’ket drone on about how he felt responsible for her health while she was on his turf. It was completely ridiculous for him to think that way, but, while she would never admit it out loud, it was also kind of sweet.

They entered his office, and she flopped down gracelessly in one of the chairs. He started brewing caf for them (confirming her suspicions that the man  _ only  _ drank caf. Unless they were drinking booze). While it brewed he turned and leaned against the counter.

“Really, though. How are you feeling?” 

She rolled her eyes. “I’m  _ fine,  _ Tol’ket. It’s been a kriffing month.” She refrained from telling him that Lily kicked her shebs, and she was still definitely feeling the effects of that horrible night. For a kid who was supposed to be in a fairly weakened state from slabin poisoning, she could sure pack a punch.

He narrowed his eyes at her, not quite believing, but let it rest. Wise man. 

“What did you tell Obi-Wan about the intel from Carlac?” he asked, handing her her caf, and sitting down in the chair next to her.

“I shouldn’t tell you,” she said, smirking over the rim of the cup at him.

“But you’re going to, anyway,” he said with a shrug. 

“Yup.” He chuckled, gestured for her to go on. “Well, for one, it isn’t the twenty or thirty defectors licking their wounds like we thought. There’s at least an entire company, if not more.”

“Not enough to be a real problem,” Tol’ket said, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling, deep in thought.

“No, but enough to be a headache. They’ve acquired more ships. Looks like they’ve gotten a hold of some decent arms.”

“So, your run of the mill Mando’ade headache, in other words,” he said with a growl.

“Precisely.”

She picked up a datapad from his desk and logged into her secure files- a thing she only felt comfortable doing on his or Kenobi’s tech. She tapped a few keys, then handed the datapad to him. “Holos, schematics, etc,” He took it from her and began scrolling.

He gave a low whistle. " _ Harr'chak." _

"Yeah, exactly." She took a drink of caf, watching him as he studied the images she'd pulled up for him. She had more to say, but wasn't quite sure how he would take it.

He must have noticed the silence, because he looked up and gave her a quizzical look. "What, Bo?"

He read her too well.

"I want to go see it for myself," she finally said, sitting up and turning to face him squarely.

" _ Dini'la chakaaryc,"  _ he growled.  _ That _ was an expected reaction.

"Fuck off, Tol'ket. I want to see it for myself," she repeated with a huff. "Holos and schematics are all great, but I still need to  _ see  _ it. See who's there. What they're doing."

He gazed back up at the ceiling and muttered something under his breath in Mando'a she didn't quite make out. Something about being doomed to suffer eternally because of a woman. "I'm going with you," he said after a moment, bringing his gaze back to hers. "I'd like to see it myself, as well."

She shook her head. "I told you so you could cover my shebs with Kenobi and Satine, not to follow me out there."

"Too bad. I'm going."

Deep down, she was relieved. She didn't necessarily _ want  _ to make the trip alone. But she didn't want to drag Ursa into it, what with Sabine around and Alrich soon to join them, finally. And there wasn't anyone else, other than Tol'ket, that she trusted enough. But she didn't want him to  _ know  _ she was relieved.

She gave a mighty growl of frustration.

"Tol'ket…"

"Bo-Katan…"

They stared at each other, willing the other to fold. 

She sighed. "Fine."

"Ha! Good," he said, clapping his hands together, looking entirely too smug. 

He stood, stretched. "Hungry? Let's go sort out the details of our little excursion over food."

She glanced at the chrono on his wall. "Yeah, yeah, ok. Concordia can live without me for a little while longer." 

He laid a hand on her shoulder, the weight familiar and starting to take on a comfortable, companionable feel. "Excellent,  _ ner vod.  _ This will be a good adventure, _ "  _ he said with a smile, leading her out in search of dinner.

* * *

They had arrived late in the afternoon the day before on Coruscant, in time for dinner at Dex’s. It had been a fun outing, particularly for Lily, who had yet to have the Dex experience. An unfortunate side effect, Korkie had realized as he watched the Basilisk spoil her absolutely rotten, due to being the youngest in a family coming under increasing fire. This had been Lily’s first trip off world since Anakin’s wedding, and she was  _ reveling  _ in it. 

This day hadn’t been quite as  _ fun, _ so much as educational. Korkie had sat in the Mandalorian senate pod during a short session regarding an ongoing dispute over financing the war. Anakin couldn’t say much due to representing a neutral system, but he still had gone, both for his own education as well as to take notes for Padme. It didn’t matter for Korkie, however, as the whole process was fascinating to him. 

The rest of the day was spent working on schoolwork (or, in the case of Anakin, senate work) in Anakin’s spacious office, having lunch with Bail Organa, and keeping Lily out of trouble. Possibly not the most exciting day on record, but Korkie had had a few too many exciting days in recent history, and was perfectly happy to sit quietly with his brother and sister, do his assignments, and watch the constant buzz of Coruscant go by out the expansive windows. 

They were making their way through the halls at the end of the day, promises of fun and even a bit of adventure on Anakin’s lips, when an aide came charging down the hall. “Senator Skywalker! Senator Skywalker! The Chancellor has called an emergency meeting of the Commerce Committee. It meets in five minutes.”

Anakin ran his glove covered mechanical hand down his face. “ _ Sithspit,”  _ he swore under his breath. “I swear the man instinctively knows when I’m trying to have a good day and then ruins it.”

He turned to Korkie and Lily. “Listen, I’ll make a point of this not taking long.” Then he took a good look at Lily, who was the epitome of crestfallen, and swore again. Turning to the huddle of Protectors with them, he rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I was going to take them to the night market on level 1100. Do you think you could take them there and I’ll catch up?”

The Protectors looked at each other in some sort of silent communication, and then nodded. “We’ll take them down there, sir. They’ll be fine.”

Anakin turned to Korkie and Lily again. “Alright.  _ Stay  _ with the Protectors,” he aimed that more at Lily than Korkie, thankfully. “Lily,  _ listen  _ to Korkie, ok? This place is insane and nothing like home.”

“I’ve been here before, Ani,” she said with all the sullen indignation of a teenager.

“Yeah, Lily, and you’ve basically never gone anywhere other than this building, the family apartment, and Padme’s and my apartment.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Once you get below topside, it’s a whole different world. It’ll be good for you to see it, but it is like  _ nothing  _ you’ve experienced.”

“What he’s saying, Lil, is you’re basically an overprotected, spoiled house tooka,” Korkie said with a laugh. It got the reaction he intended, as Lily launched herself at him, right there in the middle of the Senate building hallway. Anakin grabbed her by the back of her tunic before she could land a punch.

“Don’t antagonize her, Kork. You need her to cooperate with you.” 

“Ok, ok. I’ll be good,” Korkie said, hands up in an apology, chuckling. Anakin gave him a sideways glance before turning back to Lily.

“Promise me you’ll stick with him and listen to him, Lily Bo, even if he’s being a  _ shabuir.” _

“Fine. Just hurry up and catch up, ok? This is supposed to be a time for all of us to spend together, Ani,” she said, barely concealing the whine in her voice.

“I know, I know. I’ll get to you as soon as I can. Now go.” Anakin shoved them both gently down the hall, all but two of the Protectors flanking them.

Lily railed against the injustices of Anakin’s job the entire trip down to 1100. Korkie mostly just tuned her out and watched the constant, heavy flow of traffic and the glittering lights growing more dazzling as night fell across the planet.

As their speeder and escort bikes set down outside the market, Lily’s tune changed instantly.

“Oya…” she breathed, looking around rapidly, trying to take it all in. 

In fairness, Korkie really hadn’t gotten to see much of Coruscant either, though he had been allowed a lot more traveling when he was closer to Lily’s age. But, even a trip to the Boonta Eve Classic couldn’t really prepare someone for nightlife on Coruscant. Even the relatively safe district on level 1100. 

He allowed himself a few seconds of wonderment, before switching into protective older brother mode. “Come on, Lily. Stay with me.”

They pushed into the crowd, Protectors spreading out to find vantage points and scan the crowd in all directions for trouble. Korkie refrained from just holding on to the back of Lily’s tunic. She wasn’t  _ that  _ small anymore, and he knew if he got too overbearing, she would throttle him. He didn’t need to draw that kind of attention to themselves. So, his hand fell briefly to the comforting weight of his lightsaber on his hip, before he followed her good naturedly as she manically bounced from stall to stall, trying to take it all in.

They purchased a few snacks, trying to hold out for dinner with Anakin. Wild and unusual snacks, at that. Lily refused anything that may or may not have once been an animal, but even the pastries and fruit and strange little fungi they tried were wild and exotic...and even a bit impossible to swallow.

Lily slowly settled and they worked their way methodically through the street, trying on different hats and helmets, often sending each other into peels of giggles, reading horrible Huttese poetry to each other from actual old, rare paper books, and generally just having a good time. 

Lily had wandered to the next stall, selling something that had piqued her curiosity, while Korkie had stayed behind, looking at some old navigational map holos that could prove useful to a school project. He realized how engrossed he had become when he heard a shout.

“She  _ said  _ not to touch her,  _ besom!”  _

Lily.

Korkie glanced up, over to the booth she had gone to, and couldn’t see her. He looked around for Protectors, but couldn’t spot them.  _ Shit. _

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ touch me either,  _ shabuir!” _

_ Stop yelling in Mando’a, Lily,  _ Korkie thought as he started barging through the crowd, using Lily’s signature as well as the sound of scuffling and-  _ was that a fist to a face? _ \- to locate her. 

More shouting, the very definitive sound of something heavy being smashed with expert precision into someone’s body. What had she gotten herself into, and  _ where  _ were the Protectors?

Korkie burst through the crowd to see Lily in a standoff. She brandished a heavy looking pipe with the grace and elegance of the beskads and training sabers she’d been practicing with since she was tiny. Her hair was wild, and she was breathing heavily, looking terribly fierce and like every bit the Mando’ad she was. If it wasn’t for the group of burly, scary beings surrounding her- a Trandoshan, three humans, and two Weequays- he’d be proud of her. One of the Weequays and a human both looked like they’d already met the business end of Lily’s makeshift weapon.

Korkie crept closer to the group, figuring he would have more luck using surprise in his favor rather than just running headlong into them. And maybe the Protectors would show up and break this up for them, before he had to get too involved. 

“Hey, I’ve seen this kid’s face,” the Trandoshan hissed, creeping closer to Lily, whose grip tightened on her pipe. “This is one of those fancy Mando kids, you know the ones. From the holonet.”

“From the royal family?” a human asked, turning his head briefly toward his compatriot.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the one.” Lily’s eyes narrowed as she lowered herself imperceptibly, coiling her muscles in preparation of some offensive move.

“Kriff, Mandalore is stinking rich, what with all that Mando iron of theirs,” the Weequay said. “I bet they’d pay a pretty credit to get this pretty little thing back. If only we could get a hold of her.”

Element of surprise be damned. Korkie sprung into the air, somersaulting over the heads of Lily’s assailants, igniting his lightsaber as he went. He landed lightly, in ready position, putting himself as a menacing physical barrier between his little sister and her would-be attackers. They all sucked back in shock, but didn’t go far.

“Two for one deal!” the Weequay said. “That’s one of the boys!”

_ Shit.  _ Korkie turned his head ever so slightly so he could be sure Lily heard him through clenched teeth.

“Lily Bo.  _ Run.” _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I JUST realized that I'm going to be in big trouble if I can't get some conclusion of this done before I'm traveling. 
> 
> And, OF COURSE something happens. They went to Coruscant.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Dini'la chakaaryc: crazy bitch 
> 
> You all are the BEST! Thanks for being you!


	36. We're not just Mando'ade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korkie and Lily make their way through the depths of Coruscant with opportunistic criminals in pursuit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GREETINGS!!!
> 
> I am halfway home from my trip, and, not in a rush to get back on the road this morning. Soooooo, I finished piecing together this little chapter for you all. I have MISSED writing these crazy kids, and I have MISSED you all! I feel a little rusty and out of practice, though, upon a read through, I feel like I found my way back into their lives pretty easily. Please be kind if the editing is terribly rough....I just didn't do my normal due diligence because I miss you and want to give you a chapter NOW.

_ 20 BBY _

“Lily Bo.  _ Run.” _

Korkie wished he had been surprised when he heard his little sister scoff behind him.

“Come on, Kork! We can take them,” she growled at him. If she wasn’t his preteen baby sister, he’d say she almost sounded menacing. He could feel her through the Force, hot and spiky and ready for a fight.

“For the love of-” Korkie glanced up and around them, trying to keep all their assailants in his line of vision as they inched closer, all trying to find an opening to take down an angry twelve year old Mando’ad and her lightsaber wielding brother. The vendor next to them must have been selling textiles, as there were stacks of rolled rugs and bolts of heavy drapery fabric piled precariously high behind the thugs. In a split second decision, he reached out through the Force and pulled the stacks over. It had the desired effect, causing a moment of chaos among the would-be kidnappers and surrounding vendors and shoppers as heavy rugs tumbled and steamrolled a Weequay, and bolts of fabric came unfurled. He spun and grabbed Lily’s hand, and took off sprinting down a side street. 

Part of him felt they should stay in the market, look for the missing Protectors, but his instincts told him to put as much distance between the group of burly beings and he and his sister as quickly as possible. His dad always told them to follow their instincts, so running into the unknown dangers of the Coruscant underworld was what they were going to do. 

“Blast it, Korkie, we could have taken them. Why are we running?” Lily asked in frustration as he pulled her down the alley, her pipe still clutched in her hand. Shouts from behind them spurred him on him, yanking her along faster.

“Because, Lily, your overconfidence is going to get you,  _ us,  _ killed.” He turned right, then took a quick left, praying he wasn’t running them into a dead end. “I’m trying to keep us  _ alive.” _

“This way! They went this way!” A hissing yell came from somewhere nearby. Korkie yanked Lily behind a pile of trash cans. He pulled her down into a crouch, her back close to his chest. She started to protest, but he wrapped a hand over her mouth. 

“I swear to Manda, Lily, if you ever kept your mouth shut for once in your damn life, right now is the time to do it,” he whispered in her ear. “Trust me on this.”

Lily stiffened, finally willing to listen, and nodded against his hand. He pulled his hand away, just as the Trandoshan and a Weequay ran by. They seemed to be undetected, but all the same, he held her still as he counted to one hundred, waiting to see if anyone else would come by. When no one did, he stood, pulling Lily to her feet, and headed back down the alley from the direction they came. Moving slower now, he reached out through the Force, searching for menacing signatures. 

“Sometimes you are too Mando’ad for your own good, Lily,” he said quietly, letting go of her hand, convinced now that she was going to cooperate. “You need to remember a few more of Dad’s Jedi teachings. Like  _ avoiding  _ conflict.”

“I didn’t start that fight, Korkie,” Lily said, indignant. “They were harassing a woman, being really gross to her, so I told them to kriff off. Isn’t protecting others something else Dad talks about?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. The minutiae of non violent and peaceful conflict resolution was lost on a twelve year old bent on showing the world just how fierce she really was. He tried to remember if he was quite so itchy for a chance to prove himself at her age, but, then again, like he’d thought earlier, his life was much different than hers when he was twelve. 

“Where the hell are we, anyway?” Lily asked, glancing around as they walked, slipping ahead of him.

Korkie grabbed her by the collar of her tunic, pulling her back before she plowed ahead, out of the alley they were in, onto the busy street. “Hang on,  _ dinii’ika.”  _ He pushed her back behind him, then peeked his head around the corner of the building, looking both ways. 

The street was busy, packed with beings of all types, but he didn’t recognize any of the faces that passed. It looked to be some sort of entertainment district, with bright neon signs everywhere, many of which included scantily clad, hyper sexualized dancers gyrating suggestively. He shuddered inwardly. This was nowhere to drag his baby sister, but what else was he to do?

Korkie took a moment to orient himself, hoping to move them in the direction they had come, maybe even loop back to the market. Then, grabbing Lily’s hand, he plunged into the crowd. “Don’t let go and don’t talk to  _ anyone,”  _ he hissed.

“ _ Wayii….”  _ Lily breathed as they pushed through the press of bodies. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people.” Korkied felt the tension in Lily’s body, and for once it wasn’t because she was ready for a fight. He could feel her through the Force. Lily was nervous. Frightened, even.

That was a disconcerting notion. 

He gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry about them. They don’t care about us. They’re just out looking for a...uh...a good time.” Lily was sharp, probably more aware of things than she probably should be at her age, but he didn’t really want to get into what, exactly, a good time meant for these people. He picked up the pace, gently sending suggestions through the Force to people around them, getting them to step out of their path. Now  _ that  _ was a convenient trick. 

They walked along in silence for a couple of minutes, Lily’s head swiveling, eyes wide as she tried to take in everything around them. Korkie sent a prayer of gratitude to the Force that the usually unruly girl was cowed into compliance by the mass of people. 

A tremor rolled through the Force, like a warning alarm to Korkie. Lily must have sensed it, too, as her hand tightened around his.

“Who knew baby Mandos could be so slippery,” the Trandoshan hissed to Korkie’s left. To his right, Lily suddenly hauled back and threw a mighty right hook at one of the humans, connecting solidly with his nose, the sickening sound of cartilage giving way under her fist. Well, Lily clearly wasn’t so frightened to forget how to protect herself.

“Time to run, Lil!” Korkie shouted, gathering the Force to him and blasting a burst of energy at the Trandoshan, sending him reeling back into the crowd. People swore and yelled as he fell into them.

“Yup!” Lily said, surprisingly in agreement, and took off. Korkie followed on her heels, working hard to keep her pale blonde braid in his vision.

They weaved through the crowd, shoving people out of the way, but, without looking back, Korkie knew they were being pursued. Angry voices, both of their assailants and of those plowed over in their pursuit, trailed after them, never seeming to fall further behind. 

It was then that he heard the priming of blasters. A stun bolt whizzed past his ear. Lily squeaked in surprise.  _ Sithspit.  _ “ _ Pare,  _ Lily!” She slammed to a halt, turning to face him, eyes wide in terror. Were they really worth  _ that  _ much in ransom, with all this trouble they were going through? He shook his head, and, looking around for a better escape route, ignited his lightsaber again. Spinning around to face their pursuers, he spotted an overhead walkway, maybe five or six meters above them. 

“Lily, can you jump up?” he called over his shoulder, tilting his head up toward the walkway while he blocked the stun bolts away from them, working hard to send them harmlessly to the ground and not at the rapidly panicking crowd. 

Korkie heard her swear, then answer. “Yeah, but what about you?” 

“I’m right behind you, just jump, Lily, then  _ run.” _

She swore again, then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her coil and spring up, calling to the Force and the Force gladly rushing to her aid. 

“Kriffing hells!” one of the Weequays, sliding to a stop in surprise, exclaimed at the wholly unnatural sight of a little girl easily jumping nearly two stories. 

“You assholes forget we’re not just Mando’ade, but also part Jedi,” Korkie said cheekily, before giving them a casual salute, and, like his sister, called to the Force as he coiled his muscles and leapt. His hands caught the railing, but before he could swing up and over onto the platform, he nearly lost his grip, as a stun bolt landed so close to one of his hands he could  _ feel  _ the heat of it. He scrambled for a moment, vaguely aware of Lily, who should have been running, yelling at him in a panic, before he regained his purchase and hauled himself up and over the railing. 

“Move, Lily! Let’s go!”

And, once again, they sprinted off into the unknown depths of Coruscant’s underbelly. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


The meeting had been going on for an hour, and Anakin was getting restless. Well, he wasn’t getting restless, he  _ was  _ restless. Others around him were, too, he could tell, between body language and their impressions in the Force. This meeting didn’t need to be an emergency. 

As the Chancellor droned on, Anakin exchanged looks with Bail Organa, who was struggling not to look bored. If anyone could feign interest in something better than Padme, it was Bail, and he was beginning to slip his perfect mask of rapt attention. 

Anakin glanced at his chrono again, and had a very paternal thought regarding whether or not Korkie and Lily had eaten yet. He  _ desperately  _ wanted to get out of this building. Why did they need to talk for over an hour about trading alliances among allied planets? And at dinner time?

As if on cue, one of his Protectors sidled up to him as quietly and unobtrusively as possible.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” the man, Erik, whispered quietly.

“Don’t be, I can use the distraction,” Anakin whispered back.

“Yes, sir,” Erik said, shifting nervously. “Uh, I just heard from Bedwyr. There’s been some sort of incident. They can’t locate the kids.”

A shot of stoney cold adrenalin rocketed through Anakin. “ _ What? _ ”

The Chancellor fell silent, looked at Anakin. “Is everything alright, Senator Skywalker?”

Anakin huffed a frustrated breath. “Fine, Chancellor. Just a minor family incident.”

“Oh dear. I do hope everything is alright,” Palpatine said, voice saccharine sweet and dripping with fake concern.

“I’m sure it will be, but please excuse me. I need to discuss this with Erik here,” Anakin said, standing.

Bail, seeing an opportunity, jumped on it. “Sir, I’m sure we can finish this discussion tomorrow. It’s getting late and I’m sure Senator Skywalker isn’t alone in needing to get back to his family.” Anakin flashed Bail a look, sending him a wordless thanks. Bail gave him an imperceptible tip of his head.

Chancellor Palpatine sighed, then stood. “Senator Organa, I suppose you are right. We’ll adjourn this meeting until tomorrow.” The others stood, gathering their things to make a swift exit. The Chancellor approached Anakin, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I hope nothing too serious is happening. Please, Anakin, if there's anything I can do to assist, let me know."

Anakin resisted the urge to yank away, smiled graciously. "I'm sure we can handle this, thank you, Chancellor." He gave a quick bow, then spun to see himself out, Erik hot on his heels.

They stopped a few meters down the hall. "Now what the hell is going on?" Anakin growled. 

"They lost Lily and Korkie in the crowd, sir,” Erik said, his face pale, anxiety washing off of him and buffeting around Anakin in the Force. “Everything had been going just fine, then, from what Bedwyr said, Lily got into some sort of scuffle. Next thing they knew, the crowd seemed to just eat them up. There was no sign of them.” Erik glanced at his feet, shuffling. “Someone says they thought they heard Korkie’s lightsaber ignite, but…” he trailed off.

“Not good,” Anakin said dumbly.

“No, sir.”

“Well…” Anakin didn’t finish his thought. He moved off down the corridor at a sprint, Erik and the rest of his Protectors following. Anakin briefly considered comming his dad, then Tol’ket, but what would they be able to do? It was a solid 14 hour trip from Mandalore. He had the insane thought of comming Bo-Katan for a moment, then realized she’d unleash the fury of Death Watch on Coruscant. Which would certainly be taken as an act of war. No, he’d have to handle this himself.

“Call up whoever is off duty and get them down to level 1100,” he shouted over his shoulder to Erik, as they burst into the garage where the Mandalorian speeders awaited them. “Have we informed Coruscanti police yet?” He leapt into the pilot seat of the nearest speeder, Erik and two other Protectors scrambling to get in before he took off.

“Bedwyr did as soon as they realized the kids were gone.”

“Good, good,” Anakin said with a tight nod as he shot the speeder recklessly into the night sky of Coruscant. “How in the hell did they lose them?” he asked, to no one in particular. He knew instinctively that heads would roll as soon as Tol’ket got word of this. 

“No idea, sir,” Erik said tightly, knuckles white as he gripped the console between them as Anakin sent the speeder into a dive, blatantly ignoring every traffic law in existence. 

“Well, I guess it’s on us to find them, then,” Anakin muttered, as the speeder began a rapid descent into Coruscant’s underbelly. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Another cliffhanger of sorts. Mostly because I DO have to drive again for the rest of the day, and needed to make this short-ish. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Manda: Not quite a diety so much as the overarching guardian-like essence of being Mando'ad. The very soul of the Mando'ade.  
> Dinii'ika: little lunatic  
> Wayii: Good grief! Oh my! Holy shit! Something of that nature.  
> Pare: Hang on! 
> 
> Missed you all big bunches. I had fun while away, but it was weird not spending time writing each day. I can't wait to get back at it! I have Bo-Katan on the brain (friends and I watched some Rebels, particularly her episodes and I was reminded of my deep love of her), so can't wait to get back into her head!


	37. Snow, Traitors, & Magical Jetii Types

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo-Katan and Tol'ket travel to Carlac where they learn a few things about the defectors, and a few things about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed them, so I wrote a lot of them. Not even going to bother to apologize.
> 
> Thanks for all the great comments! I felt so loved!

_ 20 BBY _

Carlac was cold, snowy, and blustery. If it wasn’t such a far flung tiny rock, lost on the back side of Mandalorian space, deep in the Outer Rim, it would probably be a popular tourist trap for the Core Worlds’ wealthy wanting to frolic in the snow and get shit faced on mugs of something warm and potent. Some would call it pretty, even. Bo-Katan did not. 

Oh, she was handling it better than Tol’ket, who had been muttering and swearing under his breath from the moment they stepped off of her  _ Kom’rk _ gun ship, but she was still a child of Mandalore and Kalevala, neither of which were known for their winters. Unlike Tol'ket, however, she’d spent a large part of her life on Concordia, which could blow up some serious winter storms at times, and had fought far too many battles behind Pre Vizsla in the finger numbing cold and wet on innumerable less than hospitable planets to be all that concerned with the snow they now trudged through. Her flight suit had some climate control functions to at least chase off the chill, and her beskar, while not exactly insulating, did at least slow down the inevitable soaking of her suit, socks, and gloves. She could handle this.

She assumed Tol’ket’s suit and armor were similar, but she wouldn’t know. He had made it crystal clear that he hated the snow and the cold. He was now, as they approached the end of their fourth click in their five click hike, describing, in detail, a trip to the tropical beaches of Scarif his grandfather had splurged on for his family when he was a small boy. She wasn’t sure if he was doing it as a way to distract himself from the cold with happy, warm thoughts, or if he was a masochist, bent on making himself miserable, thinking about all the times he had been warm.

“Oh,  _ wayii,  _ Tol’ket!” Bo finally hissed. “ _ K’atini!  _ Who knew for such a big, strong man you could be such a baby?”

He grunted in reply. “I just….really don’t like the cold.”

“What? You don’t think we should come back for a wintery vacation? A little cross country skiing? I’ve always wanted to try ice skating,” she said, glancing back over her shoulder at him. 

“You’re kidding,” he said with a gruff chuckle.

Bo shrugged, turning her attention back to where she was placing her feet on the slippery slope they were traversing. “Only a little,” she answered honestly.

He chuckled again. “No, Bo. If I were to go on a wintery vacation, I would spend it next to a roaring fire, relaxing in a comfortable armchair with a good holobook, drinking hot chocolate laced with the best kriffing Corellian whiskey I could find until I was cross eyed and couldn’t stand.”

She smiled under her helmet at that. “Alright. You win. That does sound enticing.”

“Not like either one of us really know what a vacation is, though,” he grumbled.

She nodded in agreement. “Maybe one day we can lay on a beach and get drunk. Then sit by a fire and get drunk.”

He hummed a little in response and started to answer when she held up her hand, signalling him to halt and be silent. Tol’ket was a good soldier- he didn’t just stop walking, he went completely, utterly still behind her, waiting for her next signal.

She flipped down her rangefinder and began scanning the very edge of the camp. Commandos could be seen lazily patrolling the perimeter, but, clearly, they weren’t expecting much in the way of action today. That would never have flown under Pre’s command. They’d grown soft. 

“Am I crazy for thinking you and I could wipe this whole place out by ourselves?” Bo asked quietly. 

Tol’ket had pulled out his macrobinoculars and was doing his own scan. “Bo, it’s no secret that you are possibly crazy. I would expect nothing less from you. But we are  _ not  _ taking this on alone.”

She sighed, refusing to verbalize that he was right. She jerked her head in the direction of a rock outcropping further down the hill, offering a better vantage point of the camp.

They quietly made their way down to the rocks, climbing up to the tallest boulder before laying down, side by side, on their bellies. From here, they could look directly into the center of the camp.

“Hmm. Roughing it a bit, aren’t they?” Tol’ket whispered, carefully scanning the clearing below with his macrobinoculars. The camp was just that- a camp. A far cry from the fortified and well stocked and armed Death Watch base on Concordia. Tents of varying sizes and purposes were set up in a large circle, with half a dozen gunships, including the  _ Kom’rk  _ class ship the initial defectors had fled in, parked tightly together in the center. 

Beyond the commandos patrolling the perimeter, Mandos could be seen moving about the camp, some with more urgency than others. Among the traitors, native women from the nearby village rushed about, heads down, shoulders slumped, many carrying heavy baskets or trays of food.

Bo sucked in a harsh breath when one, really no more than a girl, ran headlong into a particularly large commando. Her basket went flying, laundry scattering everywhere around the girl and the commando. The girl fell back, landing hard on her backside. The commando, practically double her size, barely registered the impact physically, but ripped his helmet off and began berating the girl, looming over her.

“Tiber Saxon,” Bo growled as soon as she saw the young man’s face. She winced as he hauled back and kicked the smaller girl.

“You mean to tell me there’s two of those  _ shabuirs?”  _ Tol’ket asked, not even trying to contain his disgust.

“Tiber is Gar’s baby brother. The punk ass kid can’t be much older than Korkie, but he’s every bit as mean as his big brother. Meaner, possibly.” She zoomed in on the young man’s face as he sneered over the girl as she scrambled to gather her spilled laundry. 

“I changed my mind. Let’s go back to the ship and strafe the whole godforsaken lot of them,” Tol’ket growled. “All the galaxy needs is two Saxons.”

Bo snorted a laugh, but focused on the camp, moving away from the laundry scene to try to assess the rest of it. “Looks like there’s sleeping arrangements for roughly one hundred commandos. Those bigger ships can carry twenty or so troops, plus those little starfighters can do some damage.” She pushed her rangefinder up and turned to look at Tol’ket. “Who the hell is funding this?”

He glanced at her quickly, before turning back to watch the camp. “ _ Funding  _ it or just stealing shit? Clearly, they have no problem with forced labor.” He waved a hand at the native women running to and fro below them. “Death Watch is hardly ill equipped, Bo-Katan. How the hell did you all fund your little would be insurgency?”

“Now hang on, Tol’ket. We didn’t enslave anyone or steal, asshole.” She flipped her rangefinder back down with a snap, momentarily afraid she’d actually snapped it off her helmet. She did not appreciate what he was insinuating. 

“Really?” Tol’ket sounded legitimately surprised. 

She flipped the rangefinder up again and rolled to her side to look at him squarely. “Really. You didn’t know that?”

He kept his gaze fixed ahead. “I honestly just assumed-”

“Ah, yes, assuming is always a safe tactic, isn’t it?” He sat his macros down and turned to look at Bo. “For your edification, the majority of our funding came through mercenary work. We were soldiers for hire when we weren’t fighting our own battles. Not exactly the most virtuous form of work, but we didn’t do shit like this.” She waved a hand below. “Some  _ Kyr’tsad  _ brought in money with bounty hunting. A few, including Ursa and definitely Pre, shared their own family wealth. And, in the most technical sense, the New Mandalorian government funded a lot of it. Pre poured every bit of his governor salary back into Death Watch. He got endless amusement out of that.” She rolled back to her belly, snapping the rangefinder down once more, this time causing the image to flicker and twitch in protest at the harsh treatment for a moment. 

Tol’ket laid still for a moment, just looking at her, digesting the information she had just dumped on him in her anger. “Oh,” he finally said.

She didn’t turn back to him, keeping her eyes forward on the camp. “We did a lot of fucked up things, but Pre was determined to be as legitimate as possible. He was a bastard, but he was smart and he really did care about Mandalore. At least maybe until he got hooked up with Dooku, but he kept me in the dark on that mess. He was as passionate about his stance as Satine is about hers. And we didn’t steal a single gram of beskar, a single blaster, or a single liter of fuel.”

Bo  _ hated  _ speaking even remotely kindly about Pre. He left far too many scars on her, both physical and mental, for her to want to defend the man she had removed from the mortal realm. But she would  _ not  _ tolerate having the organization she had spent so many years helping to build and lead disparaged and lumped in with common criminals,slavers, and traitors. 

“Sorry, Bo. I didn’t realize,” Tol’ket said quietly.

She grunted in response, but kept her eyes trained ahead, as anger and indignation rushed through her veins. She wasn’t even sure if she was mad at herself for standing up for Pre’s version of Death Watch, or for Tol’ket’s assumptions. 

It was all forgotten in a moment, though, when a familiar face came out of the largest of the tents, out of beskar and moving gingerly. “There’s Gar!”

“I can’t believe that son of a bitch is still alive,” Tol’ket growled. 

He  _ was  _ alive, but moved like a man who’d been pieced back together after taking slugs to the chest and gut at close range only a few weeks earlier. “If he still looks that bad, they must not have much in the ways of proper medical equipment,” Bo said. “He was probably patched up by a field medic.”

“They’re going to be choosy, then, about exactly what kind of fights they’re willing to pick,” Tol’ket said. “At least until they get their hands on the good stuff.”

“Damnit, Satine,” Bo whispered, frustrated at her sister’s lack of will to move on these traitorous bastards. Then gasped as a second familiar face appeared from the same tent. “Maul.”

Tol’ket let out a long quiet stream of profanity. “Why is he still with them?” he asked, once he’d run out of foul language.

Bo quietly scrambled to her feet and leapt lightly down off the boulder, sliding a meter or so in the snow. “I don’t know, but I can’t pick anything up from this far away. I’m moving closer.”

Another stream of profanity. “Bo-Katan!” Tol’ket whisper-yelled, before getting up and following her. He caught up quickly. “I don’t know what I did to my ancestors for them to doom me with the care and protection of the likes of you for eternity,” he muttered from just over her shoulder. She wasn’t even sure she was meant to hear it. 

“May I remind you, I do not need your care or your protection.”

“You are a  _ Kryze _ , Bo. I am sworn to protect your family. Now that you're back in your rightful place, that includes you,  _ Lady  _ Kryze.”

She snorted in derision. “I thought you just liked my company.”

“ _ That  _ is highly debatable at times.”

She walked through a small copse of evergreens and moved to one that gave her a near level view of Gar Saxon and Maul. They were speaking animatedly. Or, well, Saxon was gesturing wildly while Maul stood, arms crossed, looking bored. Bo clicked a button on a gauntlet, which activated both her amplifier and her recording device. Tol’ket stood just behind her, and blaster drawn and ready, clearly antsy this close to the camp.

“You are a crazy fucking  _ darjetii,  _ Maul. That plan was crazy! You can’t possibly think we are in a state even remotely capable of moving on Sundari, let alone anywhere on Coruscant!”

“Then you will just have to draw Skywalker out. Bring him somewhere your feeble forces  _ can  _ perform adequately,” Maul said in that strange, rich voice. “Otherwise, our deal will be off and I may just slip intel as to your whereabouts and capabilities to Lady Bo-Katan and let her finish what she’s started.”

“You wouldn’t  _ dare,”  _ Saxon growled. 

“Test me, Saxon,” Maul growled, stepping into the larger man’s space, teeth bared, a hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. Saxon recoiled, taking a staggering step back. “I have said before that I have no quarrel with Lady Bo-Katan or her Death Watch.  _ All  _ that matters to me is that Skywalker does  _ not  _ fulfill my former master’s plans. I can do that myself, particularly if you are too afraid.”

“I am not afraid, Maul. I am being reasona-” 

Maul held up a hand then, silencing Saxon. His eyes narrowed, lips pulled into twin thin lines as he began to scan the perimeter, stopping right where Bo and Tol’ket stood, hiding behind the largest tree in the copse. Bo could  _ swear  _ he locked eyes with her. Her gut screamed to run.

“We have to go,” she whispered.

“What are they saying? We can’t possibly have everything we need,” Tol’ket protested, even as Bo-Katan shoved at him, pushing him to turn and move.

“We have enough, we  _ have  _ to go. NOW.”

“Alright, alright!” Tol’ket scrambled and slipped as she pushed and finally got moving in the correct direction. “What the hell happened?”

She gave him another solid push from behind, to be sure she was expressing just how urgently she wanted him to move properly. “I...I don’t know. I think maybe Maul... _ sensed  _ us.”

“Oh, shit.” He moved faster. As they crested the hill above the camp and made the way down the other side, he glanced back at her. “Five clicks is a lot to cover on foot in the snow when being pursued by a Sith Lord. Think you can maneuver through the forest with your jetpack?”

She rolled her eyes under her helmet, and, instead of dignifying the stupid question with an answer, she powered up her boosters to low, and gently lifted into the air. She passed by him, rolling to her back, and gave him a jaunty salute, before rolling again, and propelling herself forward, weaving handily through the trees and rock outcroppings. She stuck close to their original path, trying to leave as small a trail as possible.

He quickly caught up to her. “Show off,” he grumbled at her through their two way comm in their helmets. She couldn’t help but laugh.

They made their way much quicker through the wilderness to their ship, staying low, practically skimming the snow with their toes in places. It wasn’t the stealthiest means of transportation, particularly if they sent up air patrols, but the benefit of reaching their gun ship quickly seemed to outweigh their need for relative stealth. 

Within a few minutes, they were boarding the ship, then quickly pushing it skyward. Neither said anything until they pushed the sleek ship into hyperspeed.

“Why was that so easy?” Tol’ket asked.

Bo stared straight ahead for a moment before answering. “Maybe I panicked. Maybe I perceived a threat that wasn’t there.”

Tol’ket scoffed. “You don’t panic, Bo. You may be rash but you’re not one to panic.”

She shrugged. “Then I don’t know. He said he had no quarrel with me. If...if he could tell it was me...maybe he didn’t think it was worth stirring Saxon up over.” She looked over at him. “You have more experience with these magical  _ jetii  _ types. Could he tell it was me?”

This time Tol’ket shrugged. “Honestly, Bo, I wouldn’t put anything past a Force wielding maniac.”

Bo nodded slowly, rolling the conversation she overheard around in her mind. 

* * *

  
  


Half an hour later, Bo-Katan, stripped out of her cold beskar and changed out of her damp flight suit, stepped into the cockpit carrying two mugs of reconstituted soup, a concession to Tol’ket’s complaints about the cold and snow they left behind. Tol'ket, in a fresh, dry flight suit himself, sat in the copilot seat, feet up on the console, staring out into the swirling blue of hyperspace.

She knocked his feet with her hip. "Feet off my console,  _ besom." _

He startled, clearly far more lost in thought than she realized, but pulled his feet down and accepted the mug she handed him.

He smiled up at her. " _ Vor'e,  _ Bo."

She hummed in reply, sitting down in the pilot seat, swiveling to face him. His eyes had turned back to the whirl of hyperspace, soup ignored. She sipped hers and watched him for a few minutes, the shadow and light from outside the viewport playing across his handsome features. Ursa wasn't wrong- he  _ was  _ nice to look at. Especially when he wasn't arguing with her. So, she took advantage of the situation and sat and admired his prettiness while he was lost in thought.

But the silence was boring. "Tol'ket, eat, buddy. The soup will chase the chill away."

He startled again, snorted a little laugh, swiveled to face her, and made a show of slurping obnoxiously from the mug. She rolled her eyes, but laughed at the very un-silly man's display of silliness.

"Credit for your thoughts," Bo said, feeling the sudden urge to draw him out of his head. 

He grunted, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "It's dumb." He took a more civilized sip from his mug.

"So what? I'm bored." She reclined in her seat, watching him. "May I remind you that on our last trip together, you killed a traitor in your duchess' defense. You set a high bar for entertaining me in hyperspace, Tol'ket. What's on your mind?"

He laughed heartily at that, and Bo decided then that his laugh was as nice as his face. "I'm afraid what's on my mind isn't exactly as entertaining as that. Though it is related." He glanced at her over the rim of his mug while he sipped. 

"Still fucking beats literally staring into space." She waved out at the viewport.

He let out a long exhale. "Fine, fine." He leaned forward, resting elbows on knees, empty mug dangling from long fingers. "I know I have said this to you before, but I fear for Mandalore, Bo."

"I believe last time we talked about this you said 'Mandalore is kriffed.'"

He chuckled. "I am far more eloquent when drunk." 

She smiled at that. "That you may be, but my reply is still the same. We always survive."

"It's different this time." She started to shake her head and protest but he held up a hand to silence her. "This time it's not just the usual Mando'ade banthashit. There's forces outside of our own destructive nature, and it worries me."

She turned her head and watched the swirling blue outside the viewport, considering his thought, and found that she didn't disagree. This was more than just warring clans and hot tempered houses fighting over ancient feuds. There was Pre’s apparent tie to Dooku and the Separatists. The cryptic, eerie warnings from Maul and his insistence about Anakin being the key to everything. And the Republic, all too eager to leap in and interfere with anything Mandalore did that could be considered contentious. Clan wars and a bunch of militant, traitorous commandos were easy compared to all this shadowy business.

"What do we do about it?" she asked, eyes still dazzled by hyperspace.

He leaned back in his seat. She could feel his eyes on her, studying her. She wondered if he was watching her the same way she had watched him a few minutes earlier. 

"I really don't know, Bo," he finally said with a sigh. "I'm Mando'ad. The only thing I can think of is to fight like hell."

She stood, held out her hand for his empty mug. "Then that's what we'll do. We're good at that."

Instead of handing her his mug, he took her hand and squeezed it. He looked up into her eyes. His intensity made the breath catch in her throat. "I'm glad you're fighting alongside me, Bo."

She squeezed his hand back, the warmth of it soothing against hers. She offered him a half smile. "I'm glad, too,  _ ner vod." _

She opened her hand, releasing his, though his fingers took their time, brushing down the length of hers until releasing at the fingertips. She swallowed and turned away, leaving the cockpit and the sudden change in temperature to return the mugs to the tiny galley.

She opted to remain tucked away in the galley for a few minutes, tinkering with her helmet and rangefinder while going through a long string of messages. Several from Ursa- some serious, mostly updates and reports from what she had missed while being away. A few just the typical silliness Ursa reserved almost exclusively for Bo when either one of them was traveling. She had one message from Greer, eager to hear about the intel she had collected. He had become quite fixated on the Carlac defectors, Saxon having been a particular thorn in his side for a long time. She also had one message from Kenobi, expressing his disappointment in her and Tol’ket’s refusal to leave Carlac alone, but, nearly in the same breath, said he looked forward to finding out what they had learned. The man was itching for a fight, it was clear to see. She chuckled at the thought and wondered what Satine must think of it.

She was listening to Ursa read a recipe from the holonet (neither one cooked, but Ursa was fascinated with the notion), when she heard a furious bellow from the cockpit. The anger in it caused her muscles to flinch and twitch in leftover flight or fight instincts honed over years of rough handling and uncalled for shouting. She chastised herself. This was Tol’ket, not Pre. If he was raising his voice, there was probably a real karking good reason.

As she stood to head toward the cockpit to investigate, the ship shuddered, the hyperdrive complaining ferociously as the ship dropped out of hyperspace far too soon. She sprinted to the cockpit.

“What the hell, Tol’ket?” she yelled as she plowed through the door.

He swiveled in his seat, his face pinched with anger and distress, blue eyes crystal sharp. “Sorry, Bo. Change of plans. We’re headed to Coruscant.”

She sat down in the pilot seat, doing a quick scan of the readouts to make sure he hadn’t trashed her hyperdrive. “What the fuck for?”

“The Protectors lost Korkie and Lily.”

It was then his angry bellowing made sense, as she bellowed herself. “ _ Are you fucking kidding me?!” _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, Tol'ket is me. I am Tol'ket. Snow is the wooooorrrrst.
> 
> Some liberties taken here regarding the general Star Wars universe. Of course people would travel to other planets for vacation, right? That just makes sense. I know I would. Also, I briefly attempted to see if there were any mentions of Swarzy winter sports as I wrote this. There is not, at least according to my limited research. So, have fun with the imagery of Bo-Katan in full beskar....on SKATES!
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> K'atini: Suck it up!  
> Kyr'tsad: Death Watch (taking some liberties to with Mando'a here and using it more like "a member of Death Watch").  
> Vor'e: Thanks.


	38. Keep Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin receives unexpected help while he races to find Korkie and Lily in the lower levels of Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a doozy! And, in my quest to write the story my characters need me to tell, one particular character grabbed the wheel toward the end and took us on a detour I wasn't expecting. But, boy oh boy, do we learn some things!

_ 20 BBY _

Anakin was leaping out of the speeder before it had even come to a complete stop, rushing into the night market, Protectors on his heels. As he entered, he could see it was already swarming with Coruscanti police, the entire Coruscant contingent of the Protectors, and about half a dozen clone troopers, all but one in the Coruscant Guard colors. The one not in the Guard’s colors had a pair of very familiar Jaig eyes on his helmet.

“Rex?” Anakin said, a bit breathless as he slid to a stop in front of the trooper. “What are you doing here?”

Rex, who had been discussing an order with another trooper, shrugged casually. “Happened to be planet side on a bit of leave, and a bit bored. I was with Commander Fox when a call came in about a couple of missing Mando’ade kids, and, since I was bored, I volunteered to head up our end of the search.” He chuckled. “Figured if there was any cure for boredom, it would be chasing down a couple of Kryze-Kenobi kids.”

Anakin, despite his anxiety, couldn’t help but laugh. Rex had his family pegged. “Yeah, well, they’re Mandalorian. They can’t help but cause trouble.” He looked around at the police and troopers. “Where are we here, then?” His eyes scanned the crowds, many of which were huddled around the officers and troopers, looking at holos of his siblings. 

“We’ve just started canvasing here. A few people said they thought they saw a lightsaber, but it was only for a moment,” Rex explained, leading Anakin further into the market. “The vendors we’ve spoken to all say Korkie and your little sister were together when they saw them. So we’re assuming they...left together.”

Anakin swallowed, bile suddenly rising in his throat. Rex was trying to be diplomatic, not mentioning the many ways they could have  _ left _ , and a lot of them not good.

“Captain Rex, Senator Skywalker! We may have something!” a trooper yelled across the market to them.

Anakin and Rex hurried over, the trooper gesturing to a tall Aqualish. “Sir, tell the senator and the captain what you told me.”

The Aqualish, standing in the wreckage of some textile booth, wrung his hands together. “Yeah, yeah, I think I saw those kids. Didn’t really notice them at first, but then the girl, the little skinny blonde one, started yelling at a couple of lowlifes that like to hang around here sometimes. They were next door.” He gestured to the booth beside him. “Next thing I know, she’s throwing punches and then swinging a pipe around like a kriffing Jedi with a lightsaber.”

Anakin shakes his head. “Sounds like Lily.”

Rex made a noise that, coming from his helmet’s modulator, sounded like something caught between a laugh and a sound of horror. 

The Aqualish chuckles nervously. “Yeah, yeah, well, she got cornered, but was holding them off, then the tall red headed kid comes leaping over  _ with  _ an actual lightsaber. I thought you folks said these kids were Mandos? This kid looked like a Jedi, but in fancy clothes.”

“It’s, uh, complicated. Don’t worry about it,” Anakin said, gesturing for the Aqualish to continue.

“Yeah, yeah, anyway, next thing I know, all my stuff is falling over, all hell breaks loose, and the two kids ran that way.” He pointed down an alley a few meters away. “Once the lowlifes got themselves untangled from my rugs, they ran after them.”

“Can you tell us what these  _ lowlifes  _ looked like?” Rex asked, giving the alley a long hard glare.

“Yeah, yeah, at least a couple of ‘em. One was definitely a big old Trandoshan, a couple of slimy Weequays, maybe two or three human males.”

Rex nodded, the other trooper turned away, talking quickly into his commlink, passing the new information around. 

“And, you said these guys hang around here. What do you know about them?” Rex asked. Again, Anakin felt the sudden rise of bile, swallowed hard. Rex was trying to figure out if these guys were set on Lily on purpose.

“Yeah, yeah, they’re just hoodlums. Petty thieves. Usually I see them pick pockets and harassing ladies,” the Aqualish said, shaking his head. “The most I’ve ever heard of them doing is mugging folks on their way home. But I did hear that ugly Trandoshan talk about how much money they could get for the kids. I’m thinking they maybe meant ransom?” He flicked his four eyes to Anakin nervously.

“Ok, so we’re not dealing with criminal masterminds here, good,” Anakin said, nodding at the Aqualish, then squeezed his arm gently. “Thanks for all your help.”

He and Rex moved away, in the direction of the alley. "I guess we just follow their trail, then,” Anakin said to Rex with a shrug. 

Just as Rex gestured for Anakin to lead the way, a Coruscanti police officer ran up. “Senator! There have reports of shots fired and use of a lightsaber in a nearby entertainment district. We have a speeder waiting to take you there.”

Rex chuckled humorlessly under his helmet. “Or we could just get in a speeder.”

Within a few minutes, they were leaping out of a speeder into controlled chaos. The street was packed, but it was clear something had gone down in the area recently. Several people were sitting on the ground, surrounded by concerned onlookers and police. A crowd had gathered in a central spot, many people talking animatedly to police, pointing up at a walkway, five meters above their heads. Anakin caught fragments of sentences-  _ Jedi, lightsaber, blasters _ . He shook the fear off of him, focusing on the task at hand, avoiding the dark places his imagination kept trying to run.

One man sat on a curb, pinching his nose, blood drying on his face and down his dirty tunic. Fresh bruising was developing under his eyes and across the bridge of his nose. Two police stood over him, clearly unconcerned for his health.

“Captain,” one called out to Rex. “You may want to talk to this guy. We think he’s a suspect.”

Anakin’s blood pressure shot up. He willed himself to unclench his suddenly tight fists. Rex seemed to sense the sudden mood change. “Let me talk to him,” he said quietly as they approached. Anakin gave a sharp nod in reply.

“ _ Citizen _ ,” Rex started, his tone dripping with derision, “can you tell us what happened?”

“Hells, man, those kids are crazy,” the man said, glancing up at Rex and Anakin. “I gave up after the little one punched me out like some sort of heavyweight prize fighter.”

Anakin couldn’t help it. He barked a laugh. “I’ve been on the receiving end of that punch, and she  _ pulls  _ it with me. That’s what you get for harassing little girls,  _ besom.” _

“ _ Skywalker,”  _ Rex growled. “I thought we agreed I would do the talking?”

Anakin raised his hands in surrender. “Right, right. Go ahead, Captain.” 

If Anakin could see Rex’s eyes under his helmet, he was sure the man would be rolling his eyes at him. “Right. So, you bailed when a little girl beat you up.” Even the police officers couldn’t quite contain the snicker at that.

“That’s no ordinary little girl!” the man protested, angry that his fearsome reputation, if he even had one, was being called up for debate.

“Yeah, no shit,” Anakin grumbled.

Rex flashed him a look, or Anakin assumed there was a look being given under the helmet. He shut up.

“Your friends kept after the kids?” The man nodded. “Any clue where they went?”

“Those little freaks jumped up there.” He pointed up at the walkway that seemed to be holding everyone’s attention. “I thought Mandos were just trigger happy lunatics. But those two looked like the Jedi I see in the war holos.”

Anakin started to open his mouth, but Rex just shook his head. “Where’d they go from there?”

The man shrugged. “I was too busy peeling myself up off the pavement. By the time I had my bearings again, my crew was up there and gone, but I’m not sure where they headed.”

“Alright, good enough. I’m sure these fine officers will get you some attention for your bashed in nose once they take you in,” Rex said, turning to move back toward the bulk of the crowd. “May want to come up with a better story for it than getting punched out by a twelve year old girl, though,” he added over his shoulder, causing Anakin to suppress another laugh. 

They stood looking up at the walkway. “Let’s get up there with everyone, and split up, canvas who we find,” Anakin said, rubbing his forehead. A headache was developing behind his eye from the stress of this night. 

“Yeah, let me just figure out how-” Rex stopped short as Anakin sprang up to the walkway easily. A shocked murmur washed through the crowd. Rex just shook his head. 

“I can give you a boost, Rex,” Anakin shouted down.

“Don’t you dare, Skywalker. I’ll find a less….remarkable way up and be right behind you.”

Anakin gave him a little salute, then took a moment to center himself in the flow of the Force. He reached out, searching for the familiar signatures of his siblings, lights he knew almost as well as his own. It was hard this far down in the riotous, anxious energy of Coruscant’s lower levels, but he finally barely sensed them in the distance. Off to the left. He took off at a sprint, registering a moment later Rex scrambling up onto the walkway and following him. Others in the search party followed, some falling in behind him and Rex. Others heading in the other direction.

“Come on, you two. Where  _ are  _ you?” Anakin muttered under his breath as he reached out and held onto the two distant lights in the Force, praying they’d guide him to them safely.

* * *

  
  


“This is worse,” Lily said.

Korkie couldn’t help but agree. The walkway had taken them out of the busy entertainment district and into a quiet residential area. Lights were on in the windows around them, but the street was empty. At least down below they had lots of witnesses and general chaos to melt into. He wasn’t sure if anyone would even notice if they shouted up here.

“Just keep moving, Lily. We’ll come to a busier cross street, I’m sure.” He glanced behind him as they ran. “Just keep moving.”

“You know, Mum and Dad are  _ never  _ going to let me off of Mandalore again after this,” Lily said casually. Korkie shook his head in wonder. Lily’s mind worked in mysterious ways sometimes.

“That’s not true, Lil. You’ll get plenty of trips off world.”

She snorted. “Yeah right. If the Protectors can’t keep us safe, they’re not even going to let me out of the palace after this.”

He glanced behind him again, thought he saw shadows moving toward them, so he gently pushed her along. “I’m sure this is a blip, Lily. A simple mistake. Besides, you’re going to be going to find your kyber crystal soon enough. At the very least you’ll have that to look forward to.”

Now he could hear running feet. He wanted to keep Lily talking, distracted, but also keep her running. “The war will be over soon and we’ll get to go to Naboo more, maybe Alderaan, maybe even do some proper traveling.”

“The war is never going to end- Oh stars! They’re back!” Lily sped up.

So much for keeping her distracted. 

“Don’t stop, Lily!” he shouted, engaging his lightsaber. He reached out in the Force, hoping for guidance, direction,  _ some  _ clue as to what to do. He felt a buzz of activity to the right. He grabbed Lily’s hand with his free hand and yanked her down the next street off to the right. It was just as quiet. Maybe even more so.

And it didn’t go through. It was a dead end. Whatever he had sensed was on the other side of the building they were running straight into. He’d made a mistake.

_ No no no no…. _

“Korkie! Now what?”

“I guess we have it your way, Lily. Time to fight.”

* * *

Anakin stuck to his gut, clung on to the little lights he could just feel in the Force, because, to his relief, they were growing brighter. They  _ must be _ getting closer.

The street up here was quiet, practically abandoned, and the thought that it would be so easy to snatch two kids up without anyone being the wiser was a thought he could not shake.

Rex ran alongside him, blasters in hand, barking coordinates and orders into his comlink like he was in the middle of some battlefield surrounded by battle droids. He was taking this very seriously and Anakin wanted to bear hug the man for not only his efficient handling of the situation, stepping in as the de facto leader of the search, but also for the obvious care he had for his family. Rex, despite their rare chances to work together, was a good friend. 

Suddenly, a jolt in the Force, in the bright lights he was chasing, caused him to falter. “Wait!” He skidded to a stop in the middle of the street. Anxiety flared in the Force. Anxiety and fear. Protectors caught up to him and Rex, sliding to a halt behind them. “Everyone, just give me a second.”

He reached out again, searching, probing, and bumped squarely up against his brother and sister’s signature. Lily’s jumped at the touch and almost seemed to seize on to him, just like she tended to do in the physical realm, when she first saw him after a long absence. She was scared- a very unnerving sensation from Lily- so he tried to sooth her. Make it abundantly clear he was going to find them. 

He pulled back a bit, trying to orient where they were in relation to him. Then it clicked. “This way!” The group took off, two Protectors wearing jetpacks lifting off and flying along ahead, scanning side streets and alleys, and probably frightening the daylights out of the residents in the second and third stories of the buildings they passed. “Right! Take the next right!” Anakin shouted. 

They were  _ so  _ close.

* * *

  
  


Korkie swung his lightsaber around, causing it to hum and sing through the air. 

“I am warning you all, I’m done being nice about this,” he growled. “Turn around and go back before I get mean.” He whirled the saber once more, finishing in a ready position. 

Everyone stood still for a moment, sizing him up. He  _ knew  _ they were trying to figure out how serious he really was. How much of a threat. He should have gotten more serious back at the market. Maybe Lily wasn’t wrong. Maybe jumping head first into the confrontation  _ was  _ the right option. Hell, they weren’t really Jedi, anyway. 

A blaster was fired and Korkie responded in kind, whipping his bright green blade up and around to deflect the bolt back to the ground, then neatly severed the hand holding the blaster. The Weequay screamed as he crumpled to the ground.

“Maybe now you’ll believe me,” Korkie growled, pulling the blade back to ready.

“Anakin’s coming,” Lily said quietly from behind him.

“What?” he hissed.

“Anakin. Is. Coming!” She pointed up just as two Protectors swooped in with jetpacks, and a whole mass of them, led by Anakin, stormed down the street. 

“You all are  _ so  _ kriffed,” Lily gloated as their tormentors turned to see what the noise behind them was. The shock that rippled through them was clearly visible. Even the newly unhanded Weequay scrambled backwards on the ground when he looked up from where he had been cradling his cauterized stump.

Anakin stopped directly in front of the group, lightsaber drawn and ignited, and was flanked by Protectors and... _ Rex? _ ! It would have been an intimidating sight under the best of circumstances, but the deadly look on Anakin’s face sent a shiver down Korkie’s spine. 

“Weapons down,” Rex barked, both blasters leveled and primed, his posture screaming for them to test him. They didn’t. Blasters were thrown to the ground at Anakin and Rex’s feet. Anakin tipped his head to Korkie and Lily. Korkie grabbed Lily’s hand, lightsaber still ignited and ready, and sidled past their pursuers. When they were within arm’s reach, Anakin grabbed Lily and tucked her behind him.

“Go ahead, Protectors,” he growled menacingly.

The Protectors moved in, forcing the five would be kidnappers to their knees and roughly slapping binders on them.

“You are under arrest for the attempted kidnapping of two minors. Due to their status as children of the royal throne of Mandalore, this is also considered an act of terror against Mandalore,” Rex said in his most official voice. “So, have fun with that,  _ di’kuts,”  _ he added not so subtly. 

Anakin stepped away and began to pace in front of the prisoners once they were all secured, lightsaber ignited and passed under each of their chins, causing them all to flinch and try to scramble back. “Please be sure to make it  _ abundantly  _ clear to your fellow lowlifes- do  _ not  _ fuck around with Mandalore. And, especially, do  _ not  _ fuck around with my family.” He stopped in front of the Trandoshan, bending down to get eye level with him. “Next time I may not be as kind as to let law and order play out.”

Anakin was a sight like this, and it made Korkie’s blood run cold. Anakin tended to be rash and quick tempered and had always struggled with volatile emotions, but this was different. The cold deadliness in his voice, the stalking, menacing, predatory walk, the very real threats. It whispered of a darkness that Korkie didn’t like. Lily must have sensed it, too, as she stepped closer to him, bunching a hand in the back of his tunic. 

A mass of speeders and transports pulled into the dead end street then, with sirens blaring. If the residents didn’t know what was happening before, they sure did now.

As the thugs were hauled away, Anakin stepped back to Korkie and Lily, suddenly lighter and more the Anakin they knew. “Are you two ok? Are you hurt at all? Did you  _ really  _ cut that guy’s hand off?” 

“We’re fine. Tired,” Korkie glanced at Lily for confirmation. She nodded, a bit subdued as her adrenaline started to crash, Korkie was sure. “But we’re ok.”

He heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and led them to Rex, who he clapped on the shoulder. “Thanks,  _ ner vod.  _ I didn’t know how badly I needed you until you were there.” 

Rex, who had pulled his helmet off, gave a half smile. “I’m just glad I got a little excitement in my life before heading back out into the war.”

Anakin laughed, then pushed Lily in front of him. “Lily, this is Captain Rex. He’s covered mine, and Dad’s, and Korkie’s shebs a few times. I think tonight may count as your turn for him to cover your shebs.”

Rex smiled genuinely at Lily and offered her his hand to shake. She grasped his forearm instead, a proper warrior greeting. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you in action, Lily,” Rex said with a chuckle. “I saw what you did to that one guy back there.”

Lily flushed at the praise. “I just punched him,” she said, brushing it off.

“She probably broke some ribs, too,” Korkie said. “When I caught up to her, she was swinging a pipe almost as long as she is tall, and had already landed a few good blows.” He tugged her braid fondly. “Good stuff tonight, Lily. Good stuff.”

Rex and Korkie grasped arms next. “Commander Tano is going to be mad she missed out on some fun with the likes of you three,” Rex said. “I’ll assure her it wasn’t  _ too  _ exciting.”

“Oh no. Your baby brother and sister nearly getting snatched off the street while under your care isn’t exciting  _ at all,”  _ Anakin said with a roll of his eyes, voice heavy with sarcasm, as he led them to a speeder. “She would have been bored silly with us tonight.” 

Rex chuckled, as he ran a hand through his shortly cropped hair. “Get these kids home. I’ll finish up here.” He turned to walk toward the Coruscanti police commander. “May the Force be with you crazy kids,” he called back over his shoulder.

“Well, I like him  _ a lot _ ,” Lily said, climbing into the speeder. “When do I get a chance to go on a mission with him?”

Korkie scrubbed a hand over his face, exhaustion suddenly settling into his bones. “Hopefully, the war will be long over by the time you’d be old enough to do anything remotely like that, vod’ika.”

“Of kriffing course,” she replied, thumping heavily into her seat.

“You have had more excitement than anyone needs for a couple of years, Lily,” Anakin said as he settled in next to Erik in the front seat. “I think we all have.”

* * *

  
  


Tol’ket paced the length of Padme and Anakin’s expansive living room. Bo-Katan did not need to be Force sensitive to know he was furious. It made her jumpy, and she fought the urge to fidget. Or just leave the room all together. 

“Pacing won’t get them here faster, Tol’ket,” she said quietly, watching him turn and march back across the room, the Coruscanti skyline as his backdrop.

“I know, Bo, but at least it keeps me from flinging all this fancy Naboo art off the balcony instead,” he replied, struggling to keep his tone light. She had noted that he had kept a distance between them since debarking from the ship, as if he sensed her unease at his emotions and wanted to allow space to buffer it. She appreciated the gesture, though she felt it might take an entire planetary system to ease her tension when a big, strong man was on the warpath. A justified warpath or not. 

They had gotten word shortly after landing that Lily and Korkie had been tracked down, unharmed, and six criminals were arrested for attempted kidnapping. They had both heaved huge sighs of relief at the news, but Tol’ket was now winding up for a proper dressing down of the entire Coruscant garrison of Protectors.

Bo didn’t blame him. Up until the war had ravaged her family and the rest of Mandalore, she and Satine had grown up under the watchful eyes of Protectors, as had her father and uncles. The task for a Protector was simple- keep the royal family safe at all costs. To not do that, well, that could be construed as near treason in the eyes of some Mandalorians.

And Tol’ket seemed to be one of those Mandalorians.

The lift in the hallway chimed and in an instant the room was flooded with the excited chatter of Lily, followed closely by her older brothers. The three kids froze at the sight of Bo and Tol’ket, but Lily only for a heart beat.

“Ba’vodu!” The girl flung herself at Bo- Bo wondered, not for the first time, how the girl didn’t knock herself senseless at the speed of which her head collided with Bo’s beskar- wrapping her in a tight hug, which Bo returned, far more easily than a few months earlier. “What are you doing here?” Lily asked, practically vibrating in excitement and surprise.

Bo rested her cheek against Lily’s head, sending every prayer of gratitude she knew up to their ancestors that the kid was ok. “We got word you were causing a ruckus so we came to check it out.”

“How did you get here so fast?” Korkie asked, finally free of his stupor.

“We weren’t on Mandalore,” Tol’ket said simply from near the balcony. Bo noted the questioning look Anakin flashed at Tol’ket who shook his head in reponse.  _ Later,  _ the gesture clearly stated.

Korkie flopped onto the low, plush sofa. “Well, you missed all the excitement,” he said. 

Bo chuckled as she moved to sit, Lily’s arms still wrapped around her waist. Lily rested her head on Bo’s shoulder and yawned mightily. “It  _ is _ late, maybe you all should go to bed. We’ll be leaving for Mandalore early in the morning,” Bo said.

“What?!” Lily and Korkie shouted in unison, Lily straightening to give Bo a hard look. Bo returned it impassively.

“We were supposed to be here for four days,” Korkie said. We’ve only been here for one.”

“I’m sorry, Korkie,” Tol’ket said, shaking his head. “I can’t leave you two here right now. Your mother has already asked for Bo and I to escort you home.” Tol’ket stood tall and straight, hands clasped behind his back. He had always been fairly casual around the children, as far as Bo had witnessed, but right now he looked as if he was bracing himself for a fight from these two. 

“This is outrageous! This is unfair!” Lily whined, pulling free of Bo’s arms and stalking through the living room toward the guest rooms. “We get lost once and now we have to go back to being prisoners in our own home…” the sound of her voice trailed off as she moved further into the apartment. Bo was certain that if she could slam her door, she would have.

“For once in my life I agree with Lily,” Korkie said simply. He, however, stayed more composed, only flopping his head back against the back of the sofa. 

Anakin had remained quiet through the whole exchange, but looked a bit sheepish when he finally spoke. “You’re probably right, Tol’ket.”

“What?!” Korkie shouted, looking up sharply at Anakin, like he’d been bitterly betrayed.

“ _ Something  _ went wrong tonight. Very wrong. You’re safest at home, at least until this is sorted.”

Tol’ket gave a curt nod. “Right. Which we’re about to start doing now. Rau is gathering everyone in the office. We’ll be having a... _ discussion.” _

_ Rau.  _ That was a name Bo-Katan hadn’t heard in years. If it was who she thought it might be, she’d thought he’d died years ago, like so many others she had cared for growing up. 

Korkie scowled, then stood. “Whatever. I’m getting something to eat then going to bed.” He stomped off toward the kitchen. 

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, I’m sorry Tol’ket. I didn’t know this was going to be such a disaster.”

Tol’ket looked wounded. “Anakin, this is hardly your fault. The children, your whole family  _ should  _ be able to move about life and not be prisoners in your own home, as Lily so plainly put it. The blame falls on the Protectors, not you.” 

Anakin nodded, though still looked unconvinced. “Go with Korkie. Go check on Lily. I have this handled. And if they want to be mad, they can be mad at me.” He paused, then smiled a mischievous smile. “Or your mother. Better yet, tell them to be mad at the Duchess.”

Anakin snorted a laugh. “Thanks, Tol’ket.” Then disappeared toward the kitchen. 

Then, it was just Bo and Tol’ket in the living room. The hard, stoney look returned to Tol’ket’s face as his comlink went off. “Captain, we’re all here and ready.”

Tol’ket growled before responding. “Good. I will be down momentarily.”

He clicked it off and turned to Bo, who had stood. “I think I’ll check on Lil-”

“Come with me,” he said, voice edging on desperation.

“I hardly think that’s appropriate, Tol’ket.”

“You are a Kryze, Bo-Katan. You have every right as your sister and Obi-Wan to command your Protectors.”

“They aren’t  _ my  _ Protectors. And they haven’t been since I was left to fend for myself at fifteen. Where were the Protectors when I was left alone on the streets of Sundari? Where were they when I was swept up by Death Watch? Where were they when Pre-”

She stopped herself, her breath hitching, eyes stinging. She was shocked at her outburst, at the emotion his simple statement had brought out of her. She didn’t realize she was so angry, felt so betrayed. 

Tol’ket stood frozen, looking as shocked as she felt. He finally moved, slowly, in that way he sometimes did around her, like she was a wild, wounded animal he didn’t want to spook. He finally reached her, and gently reached out, wrapping a hand around hers. She held still, let him touch her, but refused to look him in the eye. 

“Bo, I can’t fix what happened to you,” he said softly. “I  _ am _ sorry, though. That time was horrible for so many of us, but you are  _ right.  _ Your Protectors failed you. And tonight, Lily’s and Korkie’s failed them. Help me fix that? At least come down and prevent me from murdering the lot of them.”

She fought the urge to smile, but he must have seen it. He squeezed her hand gently. “Who says I won’t murder them?” she asked.

“You’d have every right.” Another squeeze, then he ducked his head, searching for her eyes. She looked at him. “And, just so we’re clear, I have every intention of protecting you.” She started to protest, but he hushed her. “Even though you certainly don’t need protecting. But, not only are you a Kryze and a member of the royal house that I am sworn to protect, but, Bo, you are my  _ friend _ who I have come to enjoy having around. If nothing else, I need to protect you from  _ yourself,  _ you lunatic, if only to keep you around so I might bore you with my incessant whining about snow and poetic waxing about how Mandalore is kriffed.”

He smiled at her, and her anger began to trickle away. A friend having her back was different than an army of Protectors. She could accept that. “Come down with me? Help me make sure what happened to you doesn’t ever happen to Lily?”

She nodded, smiled. “Alright. But I may help you murder them instead of prevent it.”

“Fair enough.” He dropped her hand after one more gentle squeeze, then led her out the door.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm starting to think Bo's trauma is starting to push its way to the surface in unexpected ways, because even *I* wasn't expecting the outburst about the Protectors at the end. Someone get this girl some counseling.
> 
> And, is Korkie just exhausted, or is he really thinking Lily may actually make some sense?
> 
> Please ignore the very loose and casual way time works in this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for all the great comments, as always!


	39. Fear and Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tol'ket gets angry, eloquently, and Bo is confronted by a ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, ummmm, hi, and surprise! This chapter rocketed out of me REALLY fast and I kinda love it. I think it might even register somewhat on the Fluff scale, even (what? We haven't had anything remotely resembling fluff in, forever!). A lot of it is pretty freaking angsty, though, so there is that.

_20 BBY_

Bo-Katan felt like she was walking into a nexu den as she entered the security office with Tol’ket. The Protectors on Mandalore were familiar with her by now. Had even fought alongside her. But this group, it became abundantly clear to her, only saw her Death Watch armor. Her name did not matter. The fact that she walked side by side with their captain did not matter. She was right. These were not her Protectors.

Mutters and grumbling rose in the air as they walked through the cramped space, and Bo fought the instinct to pounce on one of them, preferably the biggest one she could find, and assert her dominance. Remind them why their Mand’alor had given her free rein over Death Watch.

But that would probably defeat the purpose of why she was here.

Tol’ket solved the problem for her, instead. “ _Ne’johaa,_ you karking _shabuirs!"_ he snarled. _“_ I am in no mood for that nonsense. Lady Bo-Katan is the Duchess’ sister, not to mention the chosen right hand of your Mand’alor, and I expect you to treat her as such.”

Possibly overstated, but it had the desired effect. Instant silence. 

“ _Jate_ ,” he growled in response. “This way, Bo,” he said to her, leading her to an imposing solid wall of a Protector. The man was big. Bigger than Tol’ket, who was not a small man. And bigger than any memory she had of the man with a shock of golden red hair and a pair of blue eyes she had childishly thought she had fallen in love with as a teenager. Of course he was bigger, she chided herself. He was still all but a boy last time she’d seen him.

“Bo-Katan, meet Fenn Rau, my commander of the Coruscant Garrison,” Tol’ket said.

“I know who he is,” she said, trying to keep the sudden hurt out of her voice. After her outburst a few minutes earlier, seeing Fenn again, after so many years, was _not_ helpful.

Fenn shifted uncomfortably. “Indeed. We are...familiar with each other. I was a part of Lady Bo-Katan’s detail during our civil war.”

Tol’ket, astute as always, instantly put two and two together, and stiffened markedly. “I see.” His eyes flicked to Bo’s, soft and apologetic. She shook her head slightly. She didn’t want his pity over this. No point dwelling in the past.

“Well, good,” Tol’ket said. “Then we need not waste time on reminding you how we treat a member of the Kryze family and I can just get on with business. Do you have the names I asked for?”

Fenn wordlessly handed Tol’ket a datapad, who quickly began scrolling, reading the names and ranks of those who had been in the kids' detail that night.

"Bedwyr?!" he exclaimed. "They were on Lily's detail for years until a few months ago! They of all people…." he trailed off grumbling.

Fenn nodded. "I am aware, sir, and just as surprised. They have performed admirably here on Coruscant. Until tonight, that is."

"Are we certain these Protectors weren't paid off for some reason? That this wasn't an attempted strike of some sort?" Bo asked. 

Fenn studied her for a moment, his gaze a little too intense for the question. "We haven't ruled it out, but, from what we know so far, it really was just a random act. Wrong place at the wrong time, sort of thing." 

Bo pursed her lips together. Random acts and this family rarely seemed to go hand in hand, but her paranoia had been on high alert for months, years, even, when it came to her niece and nephews, so she knew herself well enough to know she would always look for the next great enemy. 

Tol'ket sighed heavily, sagging momentarily, before taking a deep breath, claiming his full height, and squaring his shoulders. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

Tol’ket stepped to the center of the room, and all eyes turned to him, backs ramrod straight. 

“Our job, our sworn duty, may not always be easy, but it _is_ simple,” he started, voice clear and rich. “We have all sworn to _Manda,_ to _Manda’yaim,_ to protect the throne and the family that holds it. This goes beyond clan, beyond status, beyond our own personal histories.” His eyes flicked to Bo for a moment before raking across his Protectors. “The Protectors of Mandalore go back for centuries, millennia, even, and many of us come from long lines of noble Protectors. And, despite our clans and our houses, we have served and protected the family holding the throne with loyalty, often giving our very lives so the throne remains safe.

“The job is simple, but it is not easy. It has only gotten more complicated in the past years as our family has stepped off of Mandalore and into the greater galaxy, taking part in the grander scheme of things, compassionately serving not only Mandalore, but the greater good. And, like it or not, some we watch over complicate things further by being, as Lady Bo-Katan likes to put it, magical _jetii_ types.” A bubble of laughter floats through the crowd, a few sentiments of agreement.

“Simple, but not easy. Beyond Mandalore’s own sorted and bloody past, we have new shadows, new enemies to fight against. Some we know well, some we can’t even place. Our duty remains simple, but becomes harder each passing day. We are fortunate, now, to be aided by a new Death Watch, led by Lady Bo-Katan, defending _Manda-yaim,_ while we stand behind them, or, occasionally, shoulder to shoulder _with_ them, and protect our throne.

“Yet, tonight, two of the royal children were _lost!”_ The tone and volume change was drastic and sharp, and Bo was not at all the only one to startle. “Simply lost in a crowd. To be pursued by common, petty criminals. To fend for themselves. If not for the children's quick wits and superior physical training, accompanied by their brother’s manhunt aided by mere _Republican_ forces _,_ we may have been having a much different discussion tonight.

“This is completely and wholly _unacceptable._ And will _not_ be tolerated. Plain and...simple. Those tasked with protecting Korkie and Lily this evening will be put on indefinite probation without pay. You will return to Mandalore immediately, leaving all weapons and Protector armor here, in the custody of Commander Rau. I expect full written reports from not only those on Korkie and Lily’s detail, but also from all involved in the search party. You have one rotation to send me your reports.

“ _If_ it is shown that you are not at fault for this evening’s events, you will be reinstated and reassigned.

“The whole garrison will undergo remedial Protector training-” _This_ caused many to shout and grumble, but Tol’ket would have none of it. “Don’t even _think_ about arguing with me on this!” he shouted over them. They quieted instantly. “Argue and I will recall the whole soft, lazy lot of you and see if Lady Bo-Katan would like to assign some of her people to this task. I’ve seen them first hand, and they put this particular lot to shame.”

Next to Bo, Fenn shifted uncomfortably where he stood. She glanced up at him, and saw his face was pinched with anger. Bo knew Tol’ket was being particularly antagonistic to rile them up and make them work harder. It was a tactic she knew well, one Pre was particularly fond of, though he often also liked to incorporate it with brute force and example setting _._ Hells, if this had been Pre, the Protectors in charge of Lily and Korkie would have been shot in the face in front of the whole group. Most likely without the eloquent speech.

But, still, it didn’t lessen the blow to Fenn’s ego. Tactic or not, it still sounded like Fenn’s leadership was being questioned, and she was sure it stung. 

_Good,_ she couldn’t help thinking.

“I’m done,” Tol’ket growled. “Get your reports taken care of. I better have hours of mindless reading by the time I make it back to Mandalore tomorrow. If you have questions, send me written comm. I won’t be speaking with any of you this evening. I may be in a better mood tomorrow morning before I leave.”

As the crowd of Protectors began to murmur among themselves, he spun on his heel and walked over to Bo, tucking in behind her, as if she would protect him. “I didn’t murder them,” he said quietly in her ear.

She turned her head to catch a glance at him. “Not in the literal sense, _ner vod,_ but I have a feeling there will be some serious licking of wounds for a few days,” she said. “Threatening them with replacement by Death Watch was a particularly brutal blow that I, for one, appreciated greatly.”

He chuckled, the sound close to her ear. “You would. But I thought it was particularly poetic.”

She chuckled to herself as he turned to Fenn. “You can take it from here. No hard feelings, Rau. Most of this lot is _mandokarla._ You’ve done well with them.” 

Rau nodded stiffly, his face still pinched with anger. “They are a good bunch. I wish I knew what was going through their karking heads tonight, though.”

Tol’ket slapped the big man on the broad shoulder. “They can’t all be you or I. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I should head back to the apartment. Bo?”

Bo nodded and started to follow him but Fenn grabbed her by the elbow. “Can I have a moment, Lady Bo-Katan?” 

She yanked her arm so hard away from him that Tol’ket reached out to steady her, giving her a concerned look. Fenn jumped away from her in surprise at her violent response.

“I don’t really like being touched, Fenn,” she said without apology. His eyes fell to Tol’ket’s hand on her back. “I don’t like being touched by people I don’t really know,” she amended, as Tol’ket’s hand fell away. 

Fenn raised an eyebrow. “My apologies, then. Still, may we speak in private?”

Tol’ket touched her elbow, looking at her questioningly, but she raised a hand to signal she’d be fine. “I’ll be up in a moment. Save some caf for me.” 

He nodded and left, pushing through the crowd of Protectors, ignoring anyone who called out to him.

Fenn jerked his head for her to follow him, and he led her out into a quiet hall.

“Tol’ket can touch you, but I can’t?” he said with no preamble.

“What? _Wayii,_ Fenn,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I haven’t seen you in over fifteen years. I thought you were _dead._ And Tol’ket is my friend.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Still, though.”

“No. No ‘still, though.’ I am not a fifteen year old girl anymore, and now I do _not_ like being touched by random people and ghosts from my past. He and I trust each other. We have saved each other’s lives. In fact the score is very uneven in his favor, just in the past few months since the coalition.”

“So, it’s true. You killed Pre Vizsla?”

“I finished Pre Vizsla. Kenobi is too much of a Jedi to have finished the job. I helped the process along.” She crossed her arms and stared up at him. “Why are we out here? Surely not to chat about the Mand’alor.”

He sighed, hung his head. “No. I was just so surprised to see you. I’ve thought of you every day, all these years.” He offered her a small sad smile.

“You _left_ me, Fenn,” she growled. “I’m not sure what you’re driving at with this, but you left me.”

“I went where I was ordered, Bo! I was sent to your sister’s detail. I was a kid. I wasn’t going to risk my career by disobeying an order.”

“What did it matter at that point? Our world was burning and you left me, and now I wear the armor of Death Watch, Fenn.”

“You can’t possibly blame me for that,” he said with a grunt, crossing his arms to mirror her.

“No, I don’t. I really don’t," she said, shaking her head. "But you can’t come at me after fifteen years with this nonsense about thinking of me every day.”

“I thought we loved each other, all those years ago,” he said quietly, tipping his head closer.

“I didn’t know what love was then. I was fifteen. You weren’t even eighteen when you left.”

“But you know love now?”

Bo winced, flashes of trying to make a brutal man love her racing through her head. “No. I thought I did, but no.” She looked up at him. “Why are we here? Really?”

He studied her for a long moment, before shrugging. “I honestly don’t know. I’m just...I’m just glad you’re back where you belong, Bo-Katan.”

She smiled weakly at him. “I’m glad you’re not dead, Fenn. One day, you’ll have to tell me where you have been, but not tonight. I’m going to go check on my niece and nephew.” She started to turn away, then stopped. “Thank you, Fenn, for protecting them.” He returned her smile and nodded, before she turned and made her way to the lift.

By the time she made it to the apartment, she felt like she was going to hyperventilate. Her legs shook as she stepped off the lift. The timing of it all was too overwhelming. She felt like she was going to burst out of her skin from the shock of bottled up hurt breaking loose, made more intense and sharp by the unexpected reappearance of Fenn.

Tol’ket was sitting in the living room when she entered, drinking caf and reading. He glanced up from his datapad, and, taking one look at her, leapt up and was at her side in a bounding step. “ _Haar’chak!_ What did he say to you? What did he do to you? I’ll kill him.” He gently sat her down on the sofa, sitting down beside her. 

“Oh, stop it,” she scolded as she tried to catch her breath. “None of this is his fault. It was just the timing of it all.”

He poured her a cup of caf, pressed it into her hands. “I’m sorry it isn’t _tihaar._ I probably shouldn’t be giving you caf in this state.” He rubbed her arm affectionately, then began undoing the clasp of her gauntlet as she took her first sip of caf. “Take your armor off. You don’t need to be on duty now.” She allowed him to work one gauntlet off, then the other, before setting her cup down and taking over. The slow, methodical removal of her armor was not only a physical relief, but a mental one, as well. Tol’ket was right. Her brain immediately started to let go, her tight muscles relaxed, her breathing smoothed out as she pulled each piece off, making a neat pile on the coffee table. The strange, random thought of how unhappy Padme would be to see a pile of beskar on her beautiful furniture flicked through her mind in that strange way brains worked sometimes in a state of unease.

He moved away, letting her finish her task, relaxing back into the sofa with his caf. “Do….do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head as she toed off a boot. “No, not yet.”

He hummed in reply. “Understood.” He watched her for a moment, then, seeming to be satisfied that she wasn’t going to have a complete and total mental breakdown, he picked up his datapad and began reading again. 

Bo pulled off her second boot and, free of beskar, leaned back into the sofa, pulled her knees to her chest, cradled her caf between her hands, and stared out at the skyline. The view from this apartment was impressive, that was for sure, with the Jedi Temple lit softly off in the distance. 

They sat in companionable silence for a long while, Tol'ket reading and Bo watching traffic fly by. It was all very calming and, despite the caf and the high emotions of the night, Bo began to feel herself drift off. 

She wasn't sure how long she drifted in and out before she felt the sofa shift and Tol'ket's warm hands gently pry the caf cup out of her hands.

"No sense in bringing the wrath of Padmé Amidala down on us because we spilled caf on this white sofa, now is there?" he said softly, reaching for a soft blanket draped over the arm of the sofa. 

Bo chuckled sleepily, and leaned further back into the sofa as Tol'ket draped the blanket over her. He settled back down, closer to her now, close enough to feel his body heat. She hadn't felt quite so comfortable and relaxed in days, and she sighed in contentment.

Just as she was considering leaning into Tol'ket and resting her head on his shoulder, a soft voice brought her quickly back to wakefulness. 

"Auntie Bo?"

Bo and Tol'ket turned in tandem to see Lily standing in the doorway of the living room.

Bo shifted, unfolding her legs from the sofa and beckoned Lily to her. "What's up, Lily Bo?" she asked, as the girl flopped onto the sofa, curling up against Bo. "Can't you sleep?" 

Lily shook her head no. Her body felt like high tensile wire against Bo's. She tipped the girl's face up to hers gently by the chin and saw worry and fear etched across her young face.

"Are you frightened, little warrior?" she asked quietly.

Lily's eyes darted between Bo and Tol'ket before settling back on Bo. "Buir says we aren't supposed to have fear," Lily said.

Bo pursed her lips. "Hmm...everyone has fear, Lily. It’s more about what we do with that fear.”

Lily scoffed, as she took Bo’s wrist and looped her arm around herself. “Please. You’re not afraid of anything, Bo.”

“I beg to differ, kid.”

Lily turned and looked up at her. “What could you possibly be afraid of? You’re the leader of Death Watch, for Force sake.”

Bo glanced at Tol’ket, who just looked far too amused with the whole situation. He crooked an eyebrow at her, waiting to hear what she’d say.

She pulled Lily a little closer. “Well, Lily, if you _must_ know, there are a lot of things I’m afraid of. I worry I won’t be able to keep you or your brothers safe. I worry about losing you, losing your mum-”

“Mum? Really? You two don’t really...I don’t know. You just don’t seem all that close. Sometimes I’m not even sure you _like_ each other.”

Bo rested her chin on the top of Lily’s head. “You mum and I have a lot of old wounds that need healing, Lily. But I do love her, and I spent fifteen years worrying about her. I rather have what we have now than have anything happen to her, or you, or the boys, or even your weird wizard of a father.”

Lily laughed softly at that. “My point is, Lily, everyone has things we are frightened of.” She leaned over and playfully shoved Tol’ket. “I know for a fact, even though he looks big and tough and mean, Tol’ket has things that frighten him.” He nodded solemnly. “So, Lily, it isn’t about not being afraid, it’s about not letting your fear consume you.”

“So, how do I do that?”

Bo shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes you can prepare and plan on how to face it. Like, for example, the things I teach you, the things Tol’ket and your father have taught you. All of that is our own way of keeping our fear from consuming us- knowing you can take care of yourself, protect yourself, just like you did tonight, all that helps a lot.” She gave Lily a squeeze. “It doesn’t mean I wasn’t karking terrified when I found out you and Korkie were lost. But imagine what I would have been like if I didn’t know you both could beat the hell out of anyone _and_ you both have all those crazy _jetii_ powers.”

Lily laced her fingers through Bo’s and nodded against her shoulder. The taut, high tensile feeling was ebbing away. “We can talk about our fears, too, like we are now. You can always talk to me, Lily Bo.” The girl nodded against her shoulder. “Do you feel better? Like you can sleep now?”

Lily nodded again. “But I want to stay here.”

“Alright. That works.” She shifted on the sofa to get a little more comfortable, and pulled Lily a little tighter to her. The girl’s body grew heavier against her, and, as Bo returned to watching the skyline through the balcony, Lily’s breathing evened out. Bo wasn’t sure _she_ would sleep like this, but it was fine. She could nap on the trip to Mandalore.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she blinked her eyes open, though the sky was still dark. Tol’ket was laying the blanket back over top of her and Lily. Somehow in the time they’d dozed off, they had stretched out on the sofa- Bo on her side, and Lily sleeping soundly next to her, matching her position, Bo’s arms wrapped around her protectively.

“Who knew the mighty Bo-Katan could be quite so soft,” Tol’ket whispered when he realized she’d opened her eyes. He smirked, and then gave her a wink.

She gave him a mock scowl. “I’m soft for like three people.” Then after a careful look at him, she added, “Possibly four. Don’t you _dare_ tell anyone my secret.”

His smirk broke into a genuine smile. “Not on your life. Your secret’s safe with me.” He squeezed her arm, then stood looking down on them for a moment longer, before moving back to the other end of the sofa. “Go back to sleep, Bo. Morning comes soon enough.” 

She decided that was a superb idea, and drifted off again, under the watchful eye of her Protector.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, Fenn Rau. 
> 
> Here's the thing. I love the dude, and, having just finished a rewatch of Rebels AND reading some BoFenn stuff here, I really needed to make a place for him. So, here he is. Make of it what you will. This won't be the last of him (no spoilers). This is a bit of a big canon divergence, so I'm playing a "It's an AU card" for our boy Fenn.
> 
> Tol'ket is a freaking orator, even when rip roaringly mad. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the Lily and Bo heart to heart/girl talk (Mandalorian girl talk, that is). 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Ne'johaa: Shut up!  
> Manda'yaim: the actual planet of Mandalore. I'm making some Mando'a and Tol'ket head canon here, in that he uses "Manda'yaim" in a very sacred way, because he considers his role as a Protector to be sacred. One doesn't just run around using this term (at least not now that most Mandalorians speak mostly Basic), so it is reserved for moments of solemnity and used with a bit of reverence.
> 
> A very cathartic event is coming. I can't wait.
> 
> You all are my faves! Thank you for the great comments.


	40. ...but your daughters to be stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out, Kryze women are just built different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 40? Heaven help me. 
> 
> Small content warning: there is a VERY vague reference to an abusive relationship and the grooming of a minor late in this chapter. It is barely a mention, very glossed over, but once Satine gets out the tihaar, be prepared. 
> 
> This is another long one, but, oh goodness, is it fun.

_ 20 BBY _

“They took a kriffing  _ gunship  _ to Coruscant?” Satine hissed from beside Obi-Wan as they watched the  _ Kom’rk  _ gunship approach, her grip on his hand tightening to the point he considered reminding her not to break bones. “It’s a miracle we don’t have the entire Grand Army of the Republic wiping us off the map right about now, considering our tenuous place in the Senate,” she grumbled.

“Satine, my darling, it is hardly the first time a gunship or starfighter has been flown in Coruscanti air space. There are protocols for such things.”

“They aren’t  _ Mandalorian  _ gunships, Obi-Wan. We’re supposed to be a peaceful planet.”

“A peaceful planet with the means to defend itself.”

“Defense does not include blasting into the airspace of the capital of the Republic with a gunship armed to the teeth!”

Obi-Wan sighed, scrubbing his face with the hand Satine was not currently crushing. “Satine, my love, perhaps we should focus on the important things right now, such as the fact that our children are being returned safe and sound?”

She growled in frustration. “I hate it when you are right.” 

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I know you do, darling.”

The ship made to land, the large, pronged wings swinging up as the fuselage lowered smoothly to the dock. Within moments, the steep ramp lowered, and Tol’ket appeared, leading the quartet. Korkie was a pace behind him, looking sullen, with Bo-Katan and Lily bringing up the rear, Bo’s arm slung over Lily’s slim shoulders, Lily’s around Bo’s waist.

“Oh, my dear ones! I’m so happy you’re safe and home,” Satine said as they approached. 

Korkied brushed past his parents, moving toward the waiting speeder. “We should have had three more days with Anakin,” he muttered as he passed. 

Satine turned to Obi-Wan, surprise written across her face. Korkie was not typically a sulky teenager. He shrugged. He’d speak with him later. 

Tol’ket stopped in front of them, giving a short bow. “Duchess, Mand’alor, I’m afraid Korkie took my joke to be angry at the Duchess a bit too seriously,” he said, a wry smile on his lips. “But they are both none the worse for wear, if not possibly a little cranky.”

“Yeah, but Korkie cut off a guy’s hand,” Lily said with glee as she and Bo stopped alongside Tol’ket. “I would be pretty kriffing excited about that.”

Satine closed her eyes and placed her fingers against her forehead. “Stars, Lily Bo. What am I going to do with you?” Bo smirked as she gave Lily a gentle shove toward her parents. Satine pulled Lily into her arms, holding her tight for a brief moment, then tipped her head up. “Are you ok, little one?”

“I’m fine, Mum. It was no big deal.” Obi-Wan noted Bo and Tol’ket both rolling their eyes and shaking their heads, practically in unison. Clearly this was a lie. 

“She’s fine now,” Bo clarified. “We talked about...things, last night. One thing’s for sure, Kenobi. Your kids are definitely  _ mandokarla.” _

Lily flashed Bo a huge smile as she moved from Satine to Obi-Wan, who held her at arm’s length for a moment, inspecting her. “Rumor has it you were quite fearsome with a  _ pipe,  _ Lily?”

She shrugged. “You won’t let me have a lightsaber, so I improvised.”

Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to rub his eyes. “Right, of course, how silly of me. Go get in the speeder. We’ll go home in a moment.”

He watched her walk toward the speeder before turning back to Bo and Tol’ket. “We’ll be talking about Carlac, my friends, once we’re back at the palace.” He tried to put some sternness in his voice, to match Satine’s very unhappy thoughts regarding the whole Carlac matter, but, considering he was anxious to hear what they had found out, he wasn’t sure he was so successful. Bo’s indifferent gaze and Tol’ket’s obvious amusement confirmed his failure at sounding like the Mand’alor. 

“Of course,  _ Mand’alor,”  _ Tol’ket drawled, all but winking at him. “We would be happy to debrief you and the Duchess.”

Satine gave him a withering look. “That’s not what we mean, Tol’ket, and you know it.”

“Of course, your grace,” he said, bowing low. The man was shameless.

The speeder trip was quick and filled with Lily’s dramatic retelling of her and Korkie’s storming of the criminal underworld of Coruscant. To hear her tell the tale, one would have thought they had broken up the Black Sun syndicate, not been chased through the streets by a bunch of petty crooks. 

Upon arrival at the palace and the dismissal of the children, Satine whipped around to Bo and Tol’ket. “Throne room, ten minutes.” Without another word, she disappeared into the depths of the palace.

“Prepare yourselves,” Obi-Wan said with an apologetic shrug. “She has some...thoughts, about Carlac.” With that, he followed Satine.

Bo-Katan and Tol’ket were waiting in the throne room at the allotted time. Bo’s face stoney and hard, as if she were prepared for a fight. Tol’ket’s face, ever the Protector, was neutral. Satine took her seat on the throne, while Obi-Wan moved to her right hand. Before anything else could be said, Bo sprung.

“The throne room, Satine? You think that you can cow us by sitting up there and passing judgement?” Tol’ket laid a steadying hand on Bo’s arm but she pulled roughly away from it. “No, Tol’ket. She needs to hear this.” She turned back to Satine. “You sit there, but you refuse to understand what is going on. You refuse to acknowledge the danger Mandalore is in.  _ I am trying to help you.” _

Satine had gone rigid in her throne, her eyes cold and hard. “Enough, Bo-Katan. I am your Duchess.”

“You are  _ my sister,  _ and I answer to the Mand’alor,” Bo growled. 

“I thought we, your  _ Mand’alor  _ and I, had made it clear Carlac would be left alone,” Satine said, voice low and dark.

Bo narrowed her eyes. "You said there would be no strikes against Carlac. We simply went and got a closer look." She looked at Tol'ket. "Did either of us even fire a weapon while there?"

Tol'ket shook his head. "No, Lady Bo-Katan." 

Obi-Wan stifled a chuckle at Tol'ket's sudden forced seriousness. He was playing along with Bo, though she certainly was  _ not _ playing with Satine.

"It was reconnaissance, Satine, pure and simple." She held up a holodisc. "I needed more than scans and orbital holos. We got it."

She engaged the holodisc and a recording began to play. Of Gar Saxon...and  _ Maul. _

The two men stood outside a tent. Gar was out of his armor, bundled in a warm coat, holding himself like a man living in pain while gesturing wildly as he talked. Maul seemed bored with the whole thing. Obi-Wan listened intently to the conversation, and slowly grew more concerned. The recording ended suddenly when Maul’s eyes seemed to look directly into the holo recorder.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get more,” Bo said as the room fell silent.

Obi-Wan smiled wanly. “No, Bo’Katan, that was quite...informative. And troubling.”

“He seems to be planning some sort of strike against Anakin,” Tol’ket said. “I talked with Anakin briefly while on Coruscant, as well as Rau, so they are aware of the threat.”

Bo nodded along with this. “I’d also like to suggest that Anakin only travels off-world with a Death Watch escort starfighter.”

Satine, who had been quiet, though listening intently, her face unreadable, finally spoke. “He won’t like that.  _ I  _ don’t like that. I rather leave Death Watch out of this.”

Bo sighed harshly. “Satine! What, exactly, is the point of having Death Watch at your service if not for situations like this? Do you not trust me?”

“I trust you, Bo-Katan,” Satine said sharply, chin raised defiantly. “I just...I am uncomfortable with the idea that we seem to be doomed to live a life under constant guard. It has grown progressively worse over the years, and soon it feels we’ll all be holed up in the palace, under siege by our own fear.”

“You’re a Mandalorian!” Bo barked. “And a Mandalorian who has turned Mandalore on its head with this pacifist notion.  _ You have enemies.  _ And, with a galaxy at war, there are other dangers that we can’t even fully account for. If you would just accept that, we could move on with the actual protecting of your family and the protecting of Mandalore.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her sister.

Satine leaned back in the throne, crossed a leg over one knee, then crossed her arms over her chest, a mirror of her sister. She sat quietly for an uncomfortably long moment, staring back at Bo. Obi-Wan wondered if he should step in, move the discussion along. He flicked his eyes to Tol’ket, who stood next to Bo looking just as bewildered as Obi-Wan felt. 

Finally, Satine stirred. “Fine. Coordinate with Tol’ket to arrange a fighter escort for Anakin. Tol’ket, since Maul may be involved in whatever they might plan, pick the Protectors who you and Obi-Wan feel are best suited to dealing with a Force wielder and send them to Anakin.”

“And Carlac?” Bo asked.

Satine narrowed her eyes. “There will be no offensive strike on Carlac.”

“Satine! You are crazy! We could just go to Carlac now and be done with this threat.”

“That is enough, Bo-Katan!” Satine shouted. “We will only act in defense. You are dismissed.”

Bo growled in frustration but spun on her heel to leave.

“Bo-Katan?” Obi-Wan called after her. 

She spun back around. “What?” she asked, probably a bit too sharp for how she should really speak to the Mand’alor...if the Mand’alor wasn’t Obi-Wan.

“I realize you are anxious to get back to Concordia, but I actually need you here. The clan heads want some time with you.”

“Oh, yes. That reminds me. I need you for a cabinet meeting, as well,” Satine added, voice even and cool.

“ _ Harr’chak!  _ Fine.” She turned and stormed toward the door.

“Give me thirty minutes to feed her and pump her full of caf, and I promise she’ll show up in a nicer mood,” Tol’ket said, shaking his head. “I’ve been forced, of late, to become an expert on the care and feeding of Bo-Katan Kryze, I’m afraid.”

“I can still hear you!” Bo yelled across the throne room as the door slid closed behind her. 

Tol’ket shrugged. “As I was saying.” 

Obi-Wan gave Tol’ket a knowing look, but instead of calling him out on his familiarity with the woman, just shook his head. “If you can deliver her in a more agreeable mood in thirty minutes, I will see that you receive a raise.”

Tol’ket chuckled, bowed, and followed his charge out of the room.

Obi-Wan turned and studied his wife, who, despite the fight, was looking surprised and amused at Tol’ket’s departure. “What is it about you Kryze women?” he asked her.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, my dear Ben,” she said, tipping her head up to meet his eyes, a wicked little smile on her lips.

He took advantage of the empty room and leaned down to kiss her, cupping her cheek with one hand. “I’m sure you don’t, my love,” he said when they broke apart. “You all are just so delightfully easy going.”

* * *

  
  


Satine’s day had been...unpleasant. 

Starting the day with a face off between her and her sister had set her nerves on edge and made her feel disagreeable and ill tempered for the rest of it. After an uncomfortable talk with Anakin about his new security measures and dealing with a sullen, angry Korkie, the straw that had finally broken the dewback’s back was the cabinet meeting. Stars, the cabinet meeting had been insufferable. Tol’ket had been true to his word, and Bo-Katan had calmed down and behaved like the governor she was, until the Commerce and Trade minister had compared her governorship to Pre Vizsla’s and Bo had lost her head. Satine  _ had  _ come to Bo’s defense in that moment, reminding the minister that Pre Vizsla had been a traitor. The meeting had devolved from there, ending in a screaming match between two completely separate ministers that had nothing to do with the original outburst.

The day was an aggravating mess and she was well over it by the time she’d changed, warmed up, and began sparring with the poor, young Protector, Aled.

Typically, it was considered an honor to be assigned to spar with the Duchess, Satine knew. But, today, she was certain Aled was not finding the honor in it. He was possibly wondering if it was a punishment, even. Particularly as she sent him to the mats for the fourth time.

She offered him a hand up. “Your grace, your right hook is something else, but that left jab followed by the right cross, well, clearly I didn’t see it coming,” the boy- because he was really not much older than Korkie- said with a strained smile. “I’m sure I’ll counter it this time.”

She looked at him with concern. “Are you sure, Aled? We can call it a day.”

“No, no, no, your grace. I’m fine.” He took a ready stance, motioned for her to continue. She obliged.

He put up a good fight for a minute or two, countering and blocking her well, and even landing some good hits in himself, but he left himself open for a punishing left body blow after he landed a solid right cross, and he dropped to the mats again, wheezing and sputtering.

“ _ Osik.”  _

Satine turned to the sound of the voice to find Bo-Katan watching. “You ok, kid?” Bo asked Aled as he climbed to his hands and knees.

“I’m fine,” he groaned.

Tol’ket entered from the direction of his office at that moment-a datapad under his arm, caf in hand- took one look at the situation, and intervened. 

“Your grace, I...I, uh, could use Aled for a project. I’m sure you’re done for the day, anyway. Yes?”

Satine chuckled quietly. “Yes, it’s fine, Tol’ket.” She helped Aled to his feet. “You’re excused, Aled. Thank you for the excellent workout today.”

“The pleasure was mine, your grace,” he wheezed again, heading toward the Protectors’ changing room. Satine knew he would be embarrassed if he knew she got the look of utter gratitude he gave Tol’ket as he passed his captain.

Bo smirked at her. “Nice to see you still have it in you.”

Satine shook her head as she moved past Bo to her towel and water bottle. “It’s exercise, Bo. That’s all,” she said, dabbing at her face with the towel. 

Bo crossed her arms and cocked out a hip. “Most people who just want a little exercise go for a run or lift some weights. They don’t typically beat the ever loving shit out of their poor Protectors.”

Tol’ket, who clearly had no special project for Aled, barked a laugh before flashing an apologetic look to Satine. She waved a hand at him to excuse the laugh, then sat on the bench, looking up at Bo. “Why are you here?”

Bo glanced at Tol’ket, then back to Satine, a curious look on her face. “I came to find him before I left for the day.”

“You found me,” he said, deadpan, drinking from his caf cup.

“But it can wait,” Bo said, ignoring Tol'ket. “Remember when we used to beat the hell out of each other for fun?” she asked, her gaze on Satine getting more intense. 

“I don’t always remember it being fun,” Satine said with a sigh. “Not when Buir pitted us against each other.”

Bo shrugged. “Maybe that wasn’t fun, but I remember lots of times where it was just us… having some fun.” Satine watched her glance around. There was no one around but the three of them. “Still got some fight left in you? For old times sake?”

Satine considered Bo for a long moment. “Go change. I’m not fighting you in beskar.” She pointed toward the door to her private changing room. “There’s an extra set of clothes in there. I pick our form of combat.”

Bo’s face lit up. “Fine, no beskar. But no gloves if we fight hand to hand,” she gestured at Satine’s gloved hands. 

“Fine.” Satine began undoing her gloves and unwinding her hand wraps.

Bo gave a half smile then disappeared into the changing room.

Satine glanced up at Tol’ket, who wasn't even trying to hide his concern. “Your grace…” he started.

“It’s fine, Tol’ket. You trust her, yes?”

He looked a bit sheepish. “With my life.”

“Then we’re fine.” 

Satine got up and walked to the equipment locker, taking a long appraising look at the various melee weapons. 

“Your grace, are you sure you want to use weapons? You’re both more than proficient at hand to hand combat.” Tol’ket said, setting his datapad and caf down on the bench. It was a very rare occasion that anyone other than Tol’ket himself was allowed to spar with Satine using weapons. Despite his trust in his Protectors, he had a deep seated unease about anyone taking up a weapon against her. She appreciated his dedication to his role as head Protector, but she knew what she was doing.

“This will be fine, Tol’ket. Stop worrying. If you’re so worried, stay and referee.” She picked up a staff, checked its weight and balance in her hand. “It’s quite possible it may not be me you have to worry about.”

He sighed as she pulled a second staff out and checked it’s balance. “It is my  _ duty  _ to worry about you. Both of you. And right now you both are giving me heartburn and possibly a migraine.”

“Goodness, you’re dramatic, sometimes, my dear friend,” she said, closing the locker and moving toward the center of the mats with the staffs. She chuckled as he swore quietly under his breath in Mando’a, but he gave up and moved to the side.

Bo stepped out of the changing room, her sinewy, lean muscles through her arms and shoulders on full display in the sleeveless, form fitting tunic. Satine tossed a staff at her, which she snagged effortlessly out of the air, checking the balance for herself.

“Staffs? A bit old school, yes?” Bo asked, giving the staff an impressive twirl.

“Lily and her pipe inspired me,” Satine said with a crooked smile. Bo laughed. “You’ll have an advantage, I’m sure,” Satine added. “I’m a bit rusty.”

With that, they circled each other, sizing each other up. Childhood memories flooded Satine and she sunk into the familiarity of it. As girls, they had known each other so well, that these opening moments could go on for ages, as each tried to find some hole in the other’s defenses. 

Bo didn’t wait long, though, and came at Satine with a brutal blow from above, which Satine caught, the staff grasped in both hands. Bo didn’t hesitate, and immediately swung low, aiming to rake Satine out at the knees, but she leapt over the staff, and swung her own, catching Bo in the ribs. She hissed in pain, but didn’t even break stride, twirling her staff and ramming it high, catching Satine in the point of the shoulder. Satine twirled her own staff, knocking Bo’s away, turning and following it through with a swing to Bo’s stomach. Bo, not about to suffer another harsh body blow, twisted away, moving out of reach. They circled again.

“I thought you said you were rusty,” Bo said with amusement.

Satine shrugged. “I could always be better.”

With that Satine went on the attack, surprising Bo, though only for a moment. 

"I thought you didn't believe in offensive strikes, Satine," Bo growled as she blocked Satine's blow.

"Don't taunt me, Bo. This isn't the same." Satine blocked and twisted away, swinging her staff up to catch Bo's elbow. Bo swung gracefully away, using the momentum of the blow to sweep her around and catch Satine in the small of her back. Satine grunted at the shock of it.

"One's tactics in war are often sorted out on the sparring mats," Bo said, her voice almost sing-song as she all but skipped away, out of reach of Satine's staff.

"Oh?" Satine blocked. "How does one sort out the attempted murder of children on the sparring mats?" She jabbed towards Bo's chest then popped the end of the staff up, catching Bo in the chin. 

Something triggered in Bo. She leapt at Satine, delivering a brutal kick to her chest. Satine fell backwards with the blow, but rolled with it, scrambling to her feet just in time to block a vicious swing toward her head. "I had  _ nothing  _ to do with that, and you  _ know it! _ " Bo bellowed. 

The fight turned savage then. They were so evenly matched, even as Bo raged at Satine. “I risked my life for your children! My best friend risked her life for your children! People who  _ trusted  _ me, helped me, risked their lives for your children!” Satine couldn’t land a blow, but neither could Bo, and they flew across the gym, as Bo screamed out her pain.

“You don’t know what I went through, Satine! You don’t understand what it was like! It was never what I wanted.” Bo was practically sobbing now, her swings and jabs and blocks wild and sloppy. “You just don’t  _ know!” _

Satine saw an opening. Yanking the end of her staff up, she caught Bo in the wrist, the sharp impact causing her to lose her grip. A quick strike and the staff went flying. Satine caught it, kicked Bo hard in the chest, knocking her to the floor. Satine crossed the staffs and slammed them into the floor on either side of Bo’s head, trapping her to the floor.

“Then tell me!” she shouted at Bo. She dropped to her knees next to her, throwing the staffs to the side. “Tell me, Bo,” she said, quietly this time, her breath hitching. “Just talk to me,  _ please.” _

Bo sat up and took a long hard look at Satine. “Do you really want to know?” she finally asked.

Satine sighed, her shoulders slumped. She dragged a forearm across her face, wiping away sweat and blood. “You’re my sister, Bo-Katan. Of course I want to know.”

Bo looked away, as if in deep thought, then finally turned back to Satine. She gave a small nod. “Alright.”

Satine offered her a gentle smile. “Thank you. Let’s have dinner, then you will tell me what I need to know, ok? Help me understand.”

Bo nodded again, the corners of her lips just turning up. They helped each other to their feet and moved to pick up their staffs. 

“Karabast!”

Turning, they found Korkie and Lily, eyes round with shock. 

“That was the kriffing coolest thing I have  _ ever  _ seen,” Lily said, breathless with wonder.

“How long have you two been here?” Satine asked, feeling slightly horrified that her children saw her like that.

“Long enough to know you’re a karking beast, Mum,” Korkie said, admiration lighting up his face.

Tol’ket walked over, took the staffs from them both. “That was most impressive, Duchess, Lady Bo-Katan. A true masterclass.” He gestured back toward the changing room. “Now I must insist, as your Protector, that you stop so I am not forced to protect you from each other.” 

* * *

  
  


After a dinner in which Korkie and Lily gave a blow by blow recounting of Satine and Bo-Katan’s sparring session to Obi-Wan, Satine led Bo through the family lounge, where she collected a bottle of  _ tihaar  _ and two glasses, then through the palace to a small, tucked away courtyard garden. She sat her on a bench and poured them each a glass.

“ _ K’oyacyi.”  _ She raised her glass to her sister.

“Oya,” Bo said quietly in reply, then they both tipped their glasses back.

“Now, Bo, talk.”

And Bo did. 

Satine listened as her younger sister told her of losing the last adult sent to protect her at fifteen, in the middle of a war zone. Of being captured then pressed into service by Death Watch. Bo told her of the cruelty and lust of Pre Vizsla. Showed her scars and talked about a brutal night which ended in her cutting off the long, beautiful fire red braid of her youth. She explained that she knew she wasn’t blameless, though Satine couldn’t see how a mere child could be held at fault for her own brainwashing and grooming, and said as much. Which made Bo- strong, powerful, fearless, passionate Bo- cry. 

Through Bo’s story, was a common thread of ache and longing for Satine. She talked of how much she had missed her, how she often tried to subtly temper Pre and his plans, to protect her. She told her how she would sit in her room at night, surreptitiously searching for stories and pictures of Satine and the children on the holonet, just to ease the ache. And this all made Satine cry.

They drank and talked and cried and laughed long into the evening. And Satine began to understand.

* * *

  
  


It was late, very late, as Obi-Wan wandered the halls of the palace. He ran into Tol’ket, on one last, late night patrol before the man finally would rest.

“Any chance you have seen my wife and her sister?” Obi-Wan asked. “They’re nowhere to be found in the residence, and I’m not quite sure where else they could hide.”

Tol’ket rumbled a low laugh as he scratched his chin in thought.

“They also disappeared with a new bottle of  _ tihaar,”  _ Obi-Wan added.

“Oh,  _ Manda  _ help us,” Tol’ket groaned. “But I know a few places.”

They found them by following the sound of cackling laughter, in a small courtyard. They were on the ground, leaning up against a glass wall, side by side. Bo’s head rested on Satine’s shoulder, and Satine’s cheek rested on Bo’s hair. A near empty bottle of  _ tihaar  _ sat between them.

“Oh dear,” Obi-Wan said, trying not to laugh.

“Look, Satine! It’s Obi-Wan and Tol’ket!” Bo whisper-shouted. “I wonder if they brought more booze.”

Obi-Wan squatted down in front of them. “I don’t think either of you need any more booze tonight.”

“You’re absolutely no fun, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Satine drawled. “A total Jedi party killer.”

“You wound me, my dear.” He gave her a look of mock pain, which made both the women giggle.

Tol’ket, who had squatted beside Bo, gave her an appraising look. “My dear Bo, I do believe it is now you who are  _ haryc b’aalyc.”  _

She grabbed his arm and yanked him down to sit. “I, my dear Tol’ket, do  _ not  _ get  _ haryc b’aalyc.  _ That is all you.” She shoved the bottle at him, which he took. There was hardly more than a healthy shot left. Tol’ket offered the bottle to Obi-Wan, but he held up his hand and shook his head to pass. He only drank  _ tihaar  _ when polite, Mando’ade society necessitated it. In a quick motion, Tol’ket shot back the last of the  _ tihaar,  _ much to the delight of the women.

“Now you two ladies need to go to bed,” Obi-Wan said sternly.

“No, no. Ursa is expecting me. I have to go…” Bo struggled to sit up, and Tol’ket gently pulled her to sit upright, chuckling and shaking his head. “I have to go back to Concordia.”

“Not tonight, you aren’t, Bo-Katan,” he said, matching Obi-Wan’s stern voice.

“But Ursa...” Bo protested.

“Look, relax. I’ll call her.” He pressed a few buttons on his commlink, and Ursa Wren’s tired voice answered within a moment.

“What? What is it?” she demanded.

“Wren, it’s Tol’ket.”

The harshness in her voice vanished, replaced by a playfulness. “Tol’ket, you beautiful man! Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? Alrich will be awfully jealous if he finds out I’m getting calls from handsome men this late.”

“Stop it, Ursa,” Tol’ket scolded. “Bo will not be coming back to Concordia tonight.” He paused, shook his head as he looked at Bo. “She’s  _ haryc b’aalyc.” _

"Liar," Bo grumbled. Tol'ket shot her a look.

"You know, Tol'ket, you don't have to get her drunk," Ursa said. "All you have to do is ask."

Satine cackled at this, and Tol'ket looked heavenward. Bo’s brow pinched in confusion.

" _ Ursa _ ," Tol-ket growled in warning. "She'll be back tomorrow." With that, he ended the call, cutting off any more teasing from Ursa Wren, and looked at Bo. "Time for bed now, Bo."

Satine, totally disinterested in bed, turned to Bo. "Stars, Bo! I  _ need  _ to meet Ursa!"

Bo's eyes grew big. "You must! Absolutely."

"May our ancestors preserve us," Tol'ket muttered, dragging Bo to her feet.

Obi-Wan looked at Tol'ket. "If she's anything like them, Tol'ket, I fear for our safety." He pulled Satine up next to Bo.

"If you didn't fear for our safety, Obi-Wan, I would be concerned." 

"Don't you dare try to carry me," Bo growled at Tol'ket. "I can walk just fine." To prove it, she stumbled sideways into the wall.

Tol'ket smirked. "I would never dream of carrying you,  _ ner vod,  _ but I will help you."

Satine looked at Obi-Wan. "You could carry me, but I'm afraid you'd drop me like that one time."

"He dropped you?" Bo said in horror.

"He did, the poor clumsy dear." She patted Obi-Wan affectionately on the cheek. Or, he supposed it was meant to be affectionate, but she misjudged her strength and it felt far more like a slap. He winced. "I have to remember to tell you that story."

Obi-Wan slung Satine's arm over his shoulders and held tight to her waist. "That's enough, you two. Bed, now." 

As they moved through the palace, Obi-Wan could barely pick up Bo's quiet chatter to Tol'ket, but he did catch the Protector's fond smile as he listened to her. At one point he shook his head in mock disgust.

"Bo-Katan, I am-"

"I know, I know. You are doomed to be tormented by me for eternity." 

He chuckled. "Precisely."

Obi-Wan smiled to himself as Satine hummed some little Mando'a lullabye. The Force was ringing with happiness around them. His wife and her sister may be painfully, horrifyingly drunk, but whatever had passed between them this night, the Force seemed to approve of it immensely. He smiled, and kissed Satine on the head.

"I, for one, am glad you two are  _ haryc b'aalyc." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you're a Kryze woman, you bond by screaming at each other, then beating the shit out of each other for "fun," then get plastered and talk about your feelings. Honestly, I dig it.
> 
> Having just rewatched Rebels, there are a couple of things that were inspiration for the women in this chapter. The first (spoilers if you haven't watched Rebels), is Kanan's description of Sabine when he's teaching her how to fight with the darksaber. "She's so expressive, yet so tightly wound. She's so...." "Mandalorian." Hera says. This is one of my all time favorite descriptions of Mandalorians in general, particularly the women, and I think Satine and Bo-Katan REALLY exemplify it well.
> 
> The second is silly, but one of my favorite scenes is Hera, drunk on interrogation drugs, in Jedi Night. It inspired the silliness of the Kryze sisters, absolutely blitzed out of their minds when Obi-Wan and Tol'ket find them.
> 
> If you haven't read "Who Will Keep Me Safe?" and are curious to know more about what Bo told Satine, that story basically fills in the ugly details. Please mind the trigger warnings, as there are many triggery things in it, but it gives some great insight into Bo.
> 
> This was SO fun to write, but it took a bit longer because I took some time yesterday to write something in honor of Our Princess, Carrie Fisher's birthday. If you like OT/Leia stuff, it's a quick little read.
> 
> Love you all! Thanks for all the great comments. I am DYING with anticipation for your comments on this one, because you all have been waiting for this moment.


	41. What Makes You Strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family, friends, tihaar, and a baby. That's what makes you strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not what I meant to write. But this is what was written. My logical brain said I needed to write something that drives the plot, but our Mandalorian friends said I needed to write something completely different. So, here it is. It's borderline fluff, with a little bit of angst for good measure (because of course there is).
> 
> Now I'm going to go bang my head against a wall until I figure out how we're going to get to the "next big thing" in our story. Or maybe I'm just going to jump to the next big thing instead of figure out how to get there. I guess we'll find out in the next chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy, I love you, thank you for the comments. Will probably answer them all tomorrow!

_ 20 BBY _

Satine fussed with the hem of her tunic, then fidgeted with the comb sweeping her hair back out of her face. Then she chided herself for all the nervous fussing. She had no reason to be nervous. This was a casual dinner. A family dinner. Korkie would chat with his father about some history or galactic economics lesson he had learned. Lily would, once again, express the injustice wrought upon her in the name of consequences for her rash and dangerous behavior on Coruscant. 

Just dinner, she told herself again. Just dinner with Bo….and Ursa Wren. 

Satine, much to Obi-Wan’s surprise, had remembered a great deal of the night she and Bo had polished off a bottle of  _ tihaar,  _ when she’d woken the next morning with a screaming headache. Including her desire to meet Ursa Wren. 

Ursa Wren, who had gotten to spend ten years with  _ her  _ sister. Ursa Wren who had comforted and protected  _ her  _ sister. Who fought alongside  _ her  _ sister. Who helped  _ her  _ sister overthrow a vicious, traitorous man. Ursa Wren, the warrior sister that Bo-Katan had wanted Satine to be. 

Her comlink chimed, signalling that Bo and Ursa were enroute from their shuttle. With a final growl at herself in frustration, Satine smoothed out her tunic once more, took a deep breath to clear her head from the odd tangle of jealousy and sadness, and went to the lounge to be ready to meet her guests. 

Lily and Korkie were both in the lounge, working on schoolwork, reminding Satine, once again, that this was  _ just  _ dinner. A meal among family and new friends. She sat down next to Lily on the sofa, picking up one of her datapads to check her work, just like she and Obi-Wan tried to do most evenings. 

“Why are you so nervous, Mum?” Lily asked, turning and pulling her long legs up to her chest so she could face her mother.

_ Karking jetii genes. _

“I’m not...nervous, Lily,” she started.

“I can feel your nerves over here, Mum,” Korkie chimed in from the table. 

Satine sighed. “Fine. Fine,” she relented, throwing her hands in the air. “I’m nervous.”

“But why?” Lily asked again, leaning closer to Satine.

Satine frowned at her intuitive daughter. “Stars, Lily Bo. It’s….complicated.”

Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to her work. “ _ Everything  _ is complicated in this family.”

“You’re not wrong,” Satine said with a laugh.

The door to the lounge slid open then and Bo-Katan walked in with the woman Satine recognized from a holocall awhile back just behind her, a baby strapped to her beskar clad chest.

Lily and Satine moved at the same time, though Satine far more sedately. Lily launched herself at Bo, possibly aided by the Force to cover the distance so rapidly. Bo, accustomed to Lily’s enthusiastic greeting by now, braced for impact.

“Hi, Lily Bo,” she said with a laugh, hugging Lily back. “You know, we did just see each other three days ago.”

Lily pulled free. “I know, but now that you’re here, I can get out of homework for awhile.”

“Oh yes, heaven forbid you be forced into receiving a good education,” Bo said sarcastically.

Satine gave Bo a half smile. “What she doesn’t realize is she’s very much like her aunt- entirely too smart for her own good.”

Bo looked surprised, but the look soften into a smile at Satine. “I hated homework, too, Lily. And Korkie is probably like Satine, and absolutely uncooperative when you try to bribe him into doing it.”

“Yep,” Korkie said from the table, not even bothering to look up from his work. Lily’s eyes went wide with shock at being found out. It wasn’t like Satine didn’t know. She was sure Lily routinely attempted to bribe Korkie into doing her work. And she knew Korkie would refuse to cooperate. So, there was no reason to step in. But the guilty look all over Lily’s face had been worth the reveal.

Bo turned to Ursa. “Ursa Wren, my sister, Satine.”

Ursa, who had been smirking at the interaction between Lily and Bo, bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Duchess.”

Satine shook her head. “Please, Lady Wren, I only go by Satine or Mum in these rooms.” She offered her hand.

Ursa shook it with a grin. “Then, Satine, please call me Ursa. My father’s sister goes by Lady Wren, and I would rather not be reminded of that old battle ax.” Bo snorted as she moved away to sit on the sofa, picking up the datapad Satine had been reading. 

Satine moved a bit closer to Ursa, to get a better look at the baby. “And who is this?” 

Ursa smiled lovingly and pulled the  _ birikad  _ loose, revealing a beautiful baby with golden brown eyes like her mother and a shock of black hair. “This is Sabine, the love of my life. After her father, of course. I hope I didn’t overstep, but Bo said it would be alright. I miss her during the day.”

Satine glanced at Bo sitting on the sofa with Lily, and saw an odd, soft look on her face. She’d done it on purpose. Satine knew it instinctually. Bo had Ursa bring the baby to ease whatever weird tension there might be tonight. And it was working.

“Goodness, she’s gorgeous, Ursa!” Satine said. “May I?” She held out her hands toward the baby girl whose eyes were bright and curious.

“Oh, stars, absolutely.” Ursa shoved the baby into her arms. “This child does  _ not  _ miss a meal, and is getting so heavy.” Ursa sat down in one of the arm chairs, eyes on Satine and her child. “I keep getting told that I’ll be sad when she gets too big to carry, but I’m not sure I believe that.”

Satine laughed. “It’s true and not true. But it  _ is  _ nice to have extra hands around when you’d like to eat like a normal human or, you know, take a shower.” She bounced the baby on her hip, and she squealed with delight. 

Obi-Wan walked in then, and Ursa jumped to her feet. “Mand’alor,” she said, bowing crisply. 

“Goodness, Ursa, I thought we talked about this,” he said, rolling his eyes before gesturing for her to sit back down. “Relax, friend, you’re our guest.” He turned to Satine. “No. No more babies. Don’t even ask. I haven’t recovered from Lily and Anakin arriving at the same time.”

Satine grinned teasingly at him. “But she’s so cute, Ben. Look at her.” He did, and he smiled. He was a sucker for babies. “But, not to worry. I’m past the desire for more babies, my dear.” He sighed in mock relief.

“I don’t think I realized you had two arrive at the same time,” Ursa said with wonder. “That’s enough for anyone to be put off the baby making game.”

Satine sat down next to Bo on the sofa, sitting Sabine on her knees. “Oh, yes. It was quite the adventure. I went into labor with Lily on Naboo, where we had been attending a funeral and where we met Anakin. It’s a complicated mess-”

“Everything is complicated in this family,” Lily repeated.

Satine flashed her a reprimanding look. Lily, unrepentant, just shrugged. “It’s complicated, but he was pulled from Tatooine to become a Jedi, but then the council refused him.” She chuckled at the memory. “I got mad, went completely Mando’ad on them, Lily thought  _ that  _ moment was the perfect moment to make her appearance, and within a matter of weeks had a brand new baby and a poor, confused little boy straight out of the desert sands of Tatooine, along with a five year old climbing the walls.”

“ _ Aliit ori’shya tal’din,”  _ Ursa said nodding appreciatively. 

“ _ Oya,”  _ Bo said in reply with the same odd, soft look. 

They were called to the dining room a moment later, and, as they all filed out of the lounge, Lily grabbed Satine’s arm, stopping her. “Ursa was nervous, too, Mum, when she first got here. You’re both getting better, now, though,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. 

Satine kissed her daughter on the forehead. “Thank you, little love. That makes me feel better.”

* * *

  
  


Ursa seemed to follow Bo’s lead, Satine noted, and, since Bo was relaxed, so was Ursa. Dinner was a happy, mildly rowdy affair and it all made Satine smile. 

Ursa was a gifted storyteller, and took a special delight in telling embarrassing stories about Bo and her and the antics they got into together. She was also, Satine appreciated, adept at skirting around and glossing over the fact that much of their wildness was in the midst of the darkest days of Death Watch. And in the middle of some of Bo’s darkest days. Satine’s odd jealousy was slowly ebbing away and being replaced by an eternal gratefulness. When Satine couldn’t be there for Bo-Katan, Ursa had been.

Satine, in turn, told her own set of embarrassing stories of her and Bo’s childhood. Korkie and Lily and even Obi-Wan had not heard many of them, since Satine had always found them too painful to tell when she’d assumed Bo to be dead. But now Bo was not only alive, but their relationship was healing, and the old stories that once made her grieve, now gave her great delight to tell, watching Bo squirm and turn pink with embarrassment under her freckles.

They now were all reclining around the table, plates pushed away, and wine glasses half empty. Baby Sabine, who had been passed around the table, now was cradled in Lily’s lap, watching with wonder as Korkie twirled and spun spoons in the air with the Force in front of her.

Ursa watched for a moment, before shaking her head and returning back to her story. “So, once Alrich is back from his art show on Coruscant, he’ll come to Concordia-”

“Wait, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Satine said, laying a hand on Ursa’s wrist. “Your husband is  _ the  _ Alrich Wren?”

Ursa laughed. “The one and only, I’m afraid.”

“I’m such a fool!” Satine exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and startling the baby. “I don’t know why I didn’t put it together. Stars, Ursa. I am such a huge admirer of his work. We have a few of his pieces, actually, though they are displayed in the public parts of the palace, as they should. He’s a Mandalorian master, frankly.”

Ursa blushed. “Well, he’ll be quite pleased to know the Duchess is such a fan.”

Satine looked at Obi-Wan, who was busy watching Korkie, Lily, and Sabine, smiling to himself. “I wonder if we could commission him for Lily’s  _ Resol’nare  _ portrait. That’s approaching sooner than I’d like to think.’ Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head. For Lily, it couldn’t come soon enough.

Ursa smiled, looking fondly at Lily. “She’d be a great subject for him. He has been working on a series of strong, Mando’ade women. A young warrior at the time of her taking the Creed would be a boon for him.” She glanced at Bo. “I’ve been trying for ages to get Bo to sit for him.”

Bo blushed again. “I had hoped I had put the portrait sitting part of my life in my past.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “You’re a Kryze, Bo. Expect many more in your future.”

“I think if  _ I  _ have to sit for a portrait, so does Ba’vodu,” Lily said, smirking across the table at her aunt. 

Bo flashed Lily a look of mock betrayal. “I thought we were  _ friends,  _ Lily Bo. And now you betray me like  _ this?” _

“Friends don’t make friends suffer through portrait sessions alone,” Lily said, deadpan.

Satine laughed in delight. “She has you there, Bo-Katan.” Ursa nodded in agreement.

“Are you  _ all  _ ganging up on me about this?”

“Yes,” Satine said, in startling unison with Lily  _ and  _ Ursa. 

“I hate you all,” Bo said in mock outrage, snatching a spoon out of the air in front of Sabine, and grabbing Ursa’s unfinished dessert. 

“No, you don’t,” Lily and Ursa said together. Then flashed each other looks and laughed. 

Satine leaned back in her chair and smiled, as Ursa began needling Obi-Wan with a thousand questions about his upbringing. Bo caught her eye and gave her a sweet, half smile before turning back to listen to Obi-Wan tell some story about he and Qui-Gon and a band of pirates.

This was right. Or mostly so, seeing as Anakin and Padme were missing. And she wasn’t sure what she would do if Alrich Wren were to sit at her dinner table, swapping stories with her husband. But  _ this!  _ This big, weird, messy family life, this is what she craved; for her family, and for the rest of the Mando’ade. She sent prayers of gratitude to their ancestors, and prayed for a swift end to this damnable war.

* * *

  
  


Bo, Sabine resting on her hip, and Ursa strolled through the empty halls of the public portion of the palace, Ursa noting with delight when she found one of Alrich’s paintings. She snapped a holo of it. “He may faint,” she said, chuckling to herself before continuing down the corridor to the speeder that would carry them back to their shuttle. “This was fun.”

Bo hummed in agreement. “I’m glad we did it,” she said, nodding her head. 

“Only thing that would have made it better would if I’d gotten to see that handsome Protector of yours,” Ursa said with a nudge from a beskar clad elbow. 

“He’s not  _ my  _ Protector, Ursa,” Bo protested. Then added. “But he’s here.”

“Oh? And how would you know that? Hmmm?”

Bo shook her head. “Because he’s  _ always  _ here. I’m not sure he sleeps.” She turned around, heading back the direction they had come. “Come on. We’ll make your night complete.”

Ursa, chuckling, jogging to catch up as Bo turned down a corridor she knew led to the security offices. The Protectors standing guard, recognized Bo, but hesitated for a moment at the sight of Ursa, until Bo pointed out that she was holding a baby. They let them in with a smirk.

The women found Tol’ket at his desk, typing away on his computer. When he looked up, he turned his eyes to the heavens. “May the Force shelter me,” he groaned.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Bo said, offering him Sabine. “Here. Have a baby.”

He hesitated, locking eyes with Sabine. 

Ursa snorted. “She’s a baby, Tol’ket not a bomb.”

He pulled Sabine from Bo’s arms and sat back in his chair with her. “I think I can handle a bomb better.”

Bo chuckled to herself as she opened cabinets above his caf machine to find his bottle of  _ tihaar.  _ As she sat three glasses on his desk and poured, he snorted, bouncing Sabine on his knee. “I’m surprised you would still want to drink that after the other night.”

Bo handed him and Ursa each a glass. “Please. Not only am I Mando’ad, I was forged in the fire of Death Watch. I was fine.”

“She was not,” Ursa countered. 

Tol’ket smirked. “I am not shocked.” He raised his glass. “Oya, ladies.” They drank. “Why, may I ask, are you all here?”

Ursa smiled, practically batting her eyelashes. “We just wanted a nightcap with our favorite Protector. Is that too much to ask?”

“Not at all.” He looked down at Sabine, who was watching him intently. “At least with Sabine here, I know I’m not about to get dragged into some battle.” He bopped Sabine on the nose with his fingertip. “Maybe I’ll keep you around just to keep me out of trouble,” he said to her.

“He looks good with a baby, don’t you think, Bo?” Ursa said, smiling wickedly.

“Shut up, Ursa,” Bo and Tol’ket said in unison. 

She laughed. 

Tol’ket shook his head, then turned to Bo. “I’m glad you’re here. I was going to comm you tomorrow, but since you’re here…” He took a sip from his glass, looking as if he may be forming his next words carefully.

“What? What is it?” Bo asked, squirming in her seat.

“I talked with Rau today, and some with Obi-Wan, too. Rau would like to take over as Anakin’s escort pilot.”

Bo bristled. “Isn’t he the head of your security on Coruscant?”

“He is, but there’s no reason he can’t do both.” He drummed his fingers on his desk. “There’s more.”

“What?”

“Obi-Wan thinks Rau should come and do some training with your Death Watch pilots.”

“Now hang on a second,” Bo said, trying to keep her tone low for the sake of Sabine. “Are you questioning the skills of my pilots?”

Tol’ket shook his head. “I’m not questioning anything, Bo. Obi-Wan knows of Rau’s resume. He’s an accomplished pilot. Commendations from the Republic, even, on his training of clone pilots,” he explained. “Obi-Wan thinks maybe a tune up with such a good instructor would do your pilots good.”

“I...I don’t know. I don’t know how well a Protector training them would go over.” The fact was, Bo wasn’t sure she wanted Fenn Rau around  _ her  _ for any amount of time.

“Wait,” Ursa said. “Rau? As in Fenn Rau? Your Fenn Rau?”

Bo was going to kill Ursa, she decided, as she felt heat rise in her cheeks.

Tol’ket cocked one dark eyebrow up in question. “Bo’s Fenn Rau? He was her Protector, yes?”

Bo could see understanding dawn on Ursa. “Oh, Tol’ket doesn’t know.”

“ _ Haar’chak,  _ Ursa. You have the biggest mouth.” Bo slung back the last of her  _ tihaar. _

Tol’ket raised a placating hand. “No worries, Bo.”

“Oh, hell, Tol’ket, you know about fucking Pre. Why the hell shouldn’t I tell you about Fenn?” He winced, as if waiting for an explosion. “Fenn and I thought we were in love when he was my Protector.”

He visibly relaxed. “Oh.” Then, in that astute way of his, the pieces fell in place for him. “Oooh. And then he left you.”

“He was reassigned to Satine for added security, shortly before she was taken into hiding by the Jedi,” she clarified. “I was left in the care of some distant relatives. Cousins twice removed or something, seeing as so many Protectors were killed when our father and uncles were killed.” She wilted back into her chair. “Then the last one of those Clan Kryze members was killed. Then Death Watch found me.”

“Oh shit, Bo,” he said quietly.

Bo stood, unwilling to have another moment like this with Tol’ket. “I’ll think about Rau taking over for my pilot. I’ll speak with Obi-Wan about the training.” She held her arms out toward Sabine, and Tol’ket stood, placing the baby in them. “Come on, Ursa. We have drills in the morning.” She nodded at Tol’ket. “Good night,  _ ner vod.” _

Ursa jumped up, smiled tightly at Tol’ket, and moved to the door. Tol’ket looked as if he wanted to say something, but sighed instead. “Good night, Bo.”

Ursa was quiet as they walked back through the palace toward the speeder. Bo stroked Sabine’s head, as the baby grew heavier in her arms, slowly drifting off to sleep after an exciting night of new faces. As they climbed into the speeder, a Protector in the driver’s seat, Ursa finally spoke.

“What was that nonsense? That was a perfectly lovely conversation, and you pissed all over it.”

Bo slumped. “I’m just tired of being the tragic backstory, Ursa. It seems to never end. All that man sees is some broken husk of a Death Watch commando, and it has just gotten old.”

Ursa turned in her seat to face Bo more fully. “Look at me, Bo-Katan.” Bo growled, but did as she was told, cradling sleeping Sabine against her chest. “That man sees a lot more than just what you call your tragic backstory, but what I call the smelting fire that made your beskar heart stronger.” Bo started to shake her head but Ursa grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look Ursa in the eyes. “No, don’t argue with me, Bo-Katan Kryze. You may have literally been broken and beaten, but you are a kriffing phoenix. Look what you have risen above! Look at what you have done in a matter of months! You put an end to the hell that was Pre Vizsla, you have begun to repair the rift between Mandalore’s warriors and our peace lovers. Kriffing hell, woman! You have your family back!”

Bo pulled away, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from spilling, embarrassing her further. But Ursa wasn’t done. “And if you think for one second that that man back there- that that gorgeous, kind,  _ mandokarla  _ man- can’t see past the shit that you’ve lived through to who you-” she poked Bo roughly in the chest- “really are, than you are not nearly as brilliant as I think you are. He, at the very least, is a very true and loyal friend to you, and you best hope I never see you do anything to risk that. Are we clear?”

Bo nodded.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes, Ursa. We are clear,” Bo said, biting back tears. “Are you done now?”

“Yes, Bo.”

They rode in silence the last few minutes to the shuttle. As they started to climb out, Bo stopped Ursa. “I love you, you hair raising bitch.”

“And I love you, you absolute idiot.” Ursa slung her arm around Bo’s shoulders as they walked to the shuttle. Then stopped. “Shit. That Protector heard that whole damn thing, didn’t he?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write a big, happy family meal, ok? These people and their adventures are exhausting! And also, there was a few line of conversation that were floating around in my head that I HAD to make a place for, and this was the best place to do it. See if you can guess what bit of dialogue it was...lol...
> 
> And I say it doesn't drive the plot, but it does. Slowly. At a glacier pace.
> 
> Fun fact: I went looking to see what Alrich's surname was, and he took Ursa's (according to canon). God, I love that man. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for today (though context clues should do it for you)  
> Birikad: baby carrying harness
> 
> You all are the best and I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much, because, damn, it was fun and cathartic to write!
> 
> Now, excuse me while I get these people to stop drinking tihaar and revealing ugly bits of their past to each other and actually move along with getting to the bottom of this whole overarching Sith Lord problem.
> 
> PS- apologies if I missed any time I swapped Sabine and Satine....having them in the same chapter is...difficult.


	42. To Keep You Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of intrigue and murder, Anakin finds himself needing to mend his relationship with Padme. Obi-Wan seeks help with the Maul problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The big happy, Mando dinner helped shake THIS story loose. Five attempts later, and here we are. I do just kinda throw us into the middle of it, so, if you're reeling a bit, basically everything that happens in Heroes on Both Sides, Pursuit of Peace, and the beginning of Senate Murders (we're following the proper, chronological order of TCW, not the release order) happens here, except Anakin is in the background, wondering why his wife is trying to drive him crazy. 
> 
> Super touched at how much you all enjoyed the last chapter!! I really didn't expect that, but, hey, who doesn't love people passing around a baby and swapping stories, right?

_ 20 BBY _

Anakin had been pleased at having a chance to see his parents, even if it was under the sad circumstance of Senator Onaconda Farr’s funeral.

He was pleased, that is, until, shortly after the senator’s body had left for Rodia, his mother accosted him in his office about the obvious tension she apparently picked up on between him and Padme. 

“What did you do, Anakin?” she asked, as the door slid shut behind his aide.

“What? Why do you think it’s  _ my  _ fault?” he asked, trying desperately not to raise his voice at his mother, and failing desperately.

“Because you are your father’s son,” Satine said, voice level, sitting down on the sofa and preparing herself a cup of tea from the tea service he had delivered for her.

Anakin rolled his eyes as he flopped down in his desk chair. “Where is he, anyway?” he asked, hoping to distract her from her original line of interrogation.

“He went to the temple. Don’t change the subject. What happened between you and Padme?” She took a sip from her cup, her piercing blue eyes even bluer as they reflected the blue sky of Coruscant.

Of course he wouldn’t get out of this conversation. He growled in frustration. “I didn’t do anything. She nearly gets herself killed the other night in all this nonsense and intrigue, and then takes offense when I question her judgement on not taking  _ any  _ of our countless guards with her.” He shook his head in aggravation. “Between the Protectors and Typho and his guards, she could have taken at least a few, but instead she goes off with just a driver. Then gets chased on a stolen speeder bike all over Coruscant by a couple of hitmen. I swear, between her and Lily and Korkie’s little adventure last week, I’m surprised I have any hair left.”

Satine studied him carefully for a long moment, and he squirmed under her intense gaze. He was a senator representing the warrior people of Mandalore, yet his mother’s look of displeasure could make him instantly feel like a little boy again. 

Rising, she moved to sit in the chair across from him. “Anakin, I don’t disagree with you that Padme should use the resources she has available to her for her safety, especially in times like these. But questioning her judgement is  _ not _ a wise way of handling the situation.” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a weary look. “Your wife and I are cut from the same cloth. How well does it go for anyone to outright question  _ my  _ judgement?”

He couldn’t contain the snort of laughter. Questioning his mother’s judgement was a sure way of bringing the wrath of all her Mando’ad fury down on your head, and only his father seemed to be dumb enough to do it on a regular basis. 

“Alright, I see your point, but, Mum, of all times to go running around without protection!” He stood and began to pace. “Tol’ket tells me Maul has it out for me and even has some kriffed off Mandos at his disposal, Coruscant gets attacked, poor Farr gets the stuffing beat out of him, and she decides to go for a walk,  _ alone _ ?” He threw his hands in the air. “She’s as bad as Lily.”

Satine watched him pace impassively. “I would advise you not to compare your wife to your twelve year old sister in front of her,  _ ever. _ I will try to speak with her myself, Ani, before we leave, since you both seem to be under fire, but do try and right things with Padme, alright? It’s no good prolonging discord in a marriage.”

He flashed her a skeptical look. “You’re one to talk. You and Dad went  _ months  _ last year barely speaking.”

She quirked an elegant eyebrow at him. “Then learn from our mistakes, my bright one, instead of repeating them.”

Damn, she was good. 

“Alright. You’re right. You’re always right.”

She smiled smugly. “I know.”

His intercom chimed them. “ _ Senator, the Chancellor has requested you in his office,”  _ his aide’s voice announced through the speaker.

“Sithspit,” Anakin hisses, none too quietly. His mother made a sour face. “Alright. I’m on my way,” he replied. 

The intercom clicked off, and Anakin turned back to his mother. “Will you and Dad be staying awhile?”

She wrinkled her nose and stood, closing the distance between them to brush off imaginary lint from his tunic. “No, I’m afraid not. Depending on when your father finishes with his errand to the temple, we’ll either leave this evening, or early in the morning.” She sighed, then straightened his collar. “Tol’ket is feeling a bit extra paranoid of late, so he doesn’t like us straying too far from home.”

Anakin couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he nodded in understanding. “Alright, then. You’re going to work from here awhile?” 

She nodded. 

“Good. No use in having you running loose around Coruscant, too.” He slumped his shoulders. “Guess I better go see what the Chancellor wants now.”

She gave him a grim look. “Yes. Best to not keep that man waiting, love.” She kissed his cheek, then gave him a shove toward the door. 

He gave her a little wave as the door slid behind him, then straightened his shoulders and braced himself for another uncomfortable encounter with Palpatine.

* * *

Obi-Wan had wished it would feel like coming home as he and his small band of Protectors, Tol’ket included, walked the last several hundred meters to the grand entrance of the Jedi Temple. Instead, he found himself calling the Force to him to steady his nerves. He smiled tightly at a few familiar faces, and tried to ignore the wary looks on other faces. Of course he was receiving looks- he, a mere citizen, was approaching the temple with a group of Mandalorians, armed to the teeth with blasters and  _ beskads _ . 

Why he thought this would feel like home was beyond him. He hadn’t been in the building in over ten years, and that last trip inside had been a mixed bag of emotions. Frankly, he was startled that the Council had invited him to speak to them here, instead of via holocalls, as they had been doing. Perhaps they wanted to get a better sense of his emotions. Perhaps it was just convenience. 

He stopped his little band at the bottom of the steps. “This is where I leave you,” he said, turning to Tol’ket. 

“Sir, I must insist,” Tol’ket started to protest.

“No, Tol’ket, I must insist. They’re not going to let you in, anyhow, particularly armed.” He smiled up at the tall man. “Besides, this is my childhood home.”

Tol’ket made a face as if he had said the most ridiculous thing in the world. “The Kryze family home was blown into rubble during the civil war.  _ Your  _ children’s childhood home was bombed. Childhood home does not necessarily mean  _ safe.” _

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s a building full of Jedi, Tol’ket. What could possibly go wrong?”

“That does  _ not _ help your argument,” Tol’ket said. Then his lips turned up in a crooked smile. “Be safe, sir. We’ll wait here for you and stare menacingly at Jedi for entertainment while we wait.”

Obi-Wan laughed. “Good plan, old friend. I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he trotted up the steps and into the building, leaving his Protectors to hover like a flock of armored, dangerous, angry birds of prey.

He was greeted by an eager young padawan and led through the halls to the council chamber. While the building looked the same as it had over ten years earlier (and, really, the same as it had the first twenty years of his life. Jedi weren’t much for remodeling), there was a low undercurrent of anxiety flowing through the halls that he'd never noticed before, washing around each knight and master he passed.

It made sense, really. The Jedi were leading a war, their numbers slowly being decimated. That was the other thing he noted. The halls would have been bustling this time of day in his youth. They were sparsely populated now. He wasn’t sure if it was because so many Jedi were off fighting, or if it was because so many were...gone.

To think; he could be one of those Jedi generals, fighting an endless war, if not already dead, if his life had gone a different way. He said a prayer of gratitude to the Force as he waited to be summoned into the council chamber.

The wait was brief and he entered the chamber with far more confidence and surety than he ever had in the past. He wasn’t a young boy, or even the harried young father he had been on his last visit. The last decade had changed him.

“Mand’alor Kenobi,” Mace Windu greeted. “So good to see you again.”

Obi-Wan raised his hands in a placating gesture and smiled. “Please, Master Windu. I don’t even like it when those at my command use that title.”

Mace, aware of how reluctant Obi-Wan had been to even take the role, gave him a bemused look. “Very well, Obi-Wan. Still, we appreciate you taking the time to come speak with us.”

“And I must express my gratitude in your continuing concern in these matters.”

“More on the Sith Lord you have for us then?” Yoda asked.

Obi-Wan shrugged noncommittally. “Not in as much as answers to questions, but I do have evidence that Maul is still very much a threat.” He held out a holoprojector. “The head of my Protectors and the head of Death Watch recorded this while running a reconnaissance mission last week.”

Yoda gestured for him to play the recording. The council, be they in person or sitting in via holo, watched the brief exchange between Gar Saxon and Maul contemplatively.

“As you can see,” Obi-Wan started as the recording concluded. “Maul is planning some attempt on Anakin’s life. As I said some time back, the man is convinced Anakin is the key to this Sith Lord’s plans. Now he has assistance with a group of rogue Mandalorian commandos.”

“And what would you have us do about this, Obi-Wan?” Ki-Adi Mundi holographic image asked.

“Master Mundi, I would assume, once again, that as Jedi, you would be working to investigate, find, and bring down this Sith Lord.” Obi-Wan struggled to keep the exasperation from his voice. They had been having this conversation since his and Anakin’s encounter with Dooku. “I continue to bring you every bit of information I can, yet this threat- these threats- both Maul and this yet to be identified Sith Lord, continue to linger.”

Mace sighed heavily. “Obi-Wan, our resources are stretched thin as it is. We can’t go on every wild bantha chase you send our way for some threat for which we have no concrete evidence.”

Obi-Wan scoffed. “No concrete evidence? Dooku said this Sith Lord is influencing the senate. Maul admits that the Sith Lord is here,  _ on  _ Coruscant, and you say there is no concrete evidence?” 

“Maul is a mad man, and we have nothing to back up Dooku’s claims,” Luminara said, her voice level and firm.

“Do you all not feel it? Do you not  _ sense  _ the darkness that is pervasive on this planet?” He looked around the room. “I do. This is not the same planet I was raised on. This place is  _ dark.  _ My children can sense it. Hell, even my Force null sister-in-law says being here makes her feel nervous and jumpy, and  _ nothing  _ makes that woman nervous.  _ Something  _ has changed, yet you refuse to acknowledge it. Yet at the same time, you lead men- men engineered only to fight- into war. A war very likely orchestrated by the one of which Maul speaks.”

“You have no evidence to back that claim,” Mace said, leaning back in his seat.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “Nothing  _ concrete.  _ But my instincts are telling me to be alert. Apparently, I am alone in this.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. 

Yoda studied Obi-Wan for a long time. Long enough for Obi-Wan to fight the urge to squirm and fuss, like he was some youngling asked a question he didn’t know how to answer. “Hmm….your instincts, always good they have been, young Obi-Wan. Better even now they may be. Clouded by this darkness you speak, they are not. Of this darkness I do know.” The little grand master sighed, big ears drooping. “But real evidence we must have if pursue this Sith Lord we will.”

Yoda gave Obi-Wan a soft, gentle look. “Be mindful of his feelings, remind Anakin you should. To his own instincts, listen he should. They are sharp, hmm? Like his father’s?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I do believe they are, Master Yoda.”

Yoda nodded in return. “Good, good. Protect him they will. But for now, nothing more we can do. Go now. More, you will tell us, when the time is right.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “Fine. Thank you, masters.” He bowed crisply, and turned, leaving the damn council in his wake. 

As he crossed the threshold of the main entrance, his Protectors jumped to their places around him, Tol’ket falling into step beside him.

“How did it go?” Tol’ket asked, glancing quickly at Obi-Wan before scanning for any potential threat among the Jedi going in and out of the building.

“Not good, old friend,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh. “They’ll be no use to us. Looks like we’ll be doing this on our own.”

Tol’ket growled in reply. Then huffed a little laugh. “I know at least one woman who will be glad to hear that, though.”

Obi-Wan gave a half smile. “Oh yes. That she will.”

* * *

  
  


Anakin’s day had been hell.

After the meeting in the Chancellor’s office with the squirrely little Inspector Divo saying Farr had been poisoned,  _ murdered,  _ it had just gone down hill even faster. Padme was a wreck over the allegations and still too mad at Anakin for him to be able to offer her any comfort. Meetings had all run too late and too long, and he’d missed his opportunity to say goodbye to his parents before they’d headed back to Mandalore (though, as he walked through what he was quickly beginning to realize was an empty apartment, he did find  _ three  _ cases of  _ tihaar  _ in the living room, with a note attached stating that Bo-Katan and Tol’ket complained about the lack of  _ tihaar  _ in the house the week before, and how a proper Mandalorian household should  _ never  _ be without  _ tihaar.  _ That, at least, had brought a smile to his face). 

And, now, apparently, instead of making up with his wife, he was alone.

_ Ossik. _

She had mentioned some late meetings herself, but he commed her to check in.

“Anakin,” she answered, sounding a bit breathless, and a bit aggravated.

“Where are you, Padme?”

There was a long pause, then muffled whispers. “Bail and I are following up a lead regarding Ono’s death,” Padme finally answered with a heavy sigh.

“Ooookay,” Anakin drawled, trying to keep frustration out of his voice. “So, where are you going?”

“To the docks,” said Padme. 

“The docks? Why- Wait. Never mind. Do you have any protection with you?”

Another long, pregnant pause. “I  _ am  _ with Bail. And we both have blasters.”

Anakin groaned. “Padme, Bail doesn’t count as protection. No offense, Bail.” He was sure the man could hear him.

“None taken, Anakin!” he heard Bail’s slightly muffled, good humored response.

“I thought we talked about this, Padme,” Anakin said more quietly.

“ _ You  _ talked about it, Anakin. Listen, I don’t have time for this. I’ll be home later.” With that, his commlink clicked off, and Anakin sat down heavily on the sofa. 

After a moment’s contemplation, he commed Rau. “You have three minutes to line up some Protectors to go to the docks with me to find out what kind of trouble my wife and her best friend are getting into.”

Anakin could all but hear Rau grind his teeth together. “Sir, do you really think that’s wise?”

“You either send some guards to go with me, or I go alone, and you face the holy terror that is the wrath of Tol’ket again,” Anakin said simply. It was a dirty threat, but it worked.

“We’ll be up momentarily.”

It took them a minute and thirty seconds.

Rau and five other Protectors filed in, all fully armed with blasters, slugthrowers,  _ beskads _ , and jetpacks. Because they were Mandalorian, Anakin was  _ sure  _ there was more that he couldn’t see. No one was risking losing a Kryze-Kenobi kid tonight. 

“Six of you, Rau? Really?”

Rau shrugged. “I just  _ really  _ don’t want to get my shebs chewed out again by Tol’ket, is all.” The other five chuckled, making noises of agreement, nodding their heads.

Anakin slipped his own blaster into a holster and clipped his lightsaber to his belt. “Well, alright then. To the docks.”

* * *

  
  


The docks were quiet and empty. Which, Anakin assumed, made them a good spot for secret meetings. And also made finding two people awfully difficult. He reached out in the Force, searching for Padme. She was around, not far, but the maze of shipping containers would make it hard to pinpoint her exactly.

“Let’s spread out,” Anakin said quietly to Rau.

“Sir, we’re here to protect you. I hardly-”

“You’re here to protect me and  _ my wife,  _ Rau. So help me find my wife and spread out.”

Rau narrowed his eyes, said something colorful under his breath in Mando’a, and gave the signal for everyone to spread out. A few, with a short boost from their jetpacks, even began to move along the top of stacks, getting a bird’s eye view of the docks as they moved. 

Rau stuck close to Anakin, but let him guide their path. It was quiet going for a long couple of minutes, but then a tremendous crash echoed through the docks, followed by a shout. A Protector running along the upper containers whistled and gestured in the direction of the crash. Within seconds, blaster fire began to bounce around the containers. Anakin’s blood ran cold as he took off at a run, Rau close behind. 

As they rounded a turn, Anakin saw a small cloaked figure running and firing down among the containers, dodging stun bolts as they ran. Anakin gathered the Force to him and sprang up on to the containers, pulling his lightsaber free as he ran along the tops of containers. 

The figure ducked behind crates, and the firing stopped for a moment. He still hadn’t sighted Padme or Bail, but they had to be close. He could feel Padme’s nervousness and, no surprise to Anakin, her excitement. 

A Protector whistled again, gesturing in the direction of the loading bays. Anakin began leaping from container to container in that direction, and had just caught sight of Padme and Bail, both with blasters drawn, when the whir and scrape of something mechanical startled him, and a huge container tumbled loose from its stack. 

He shouted, but the container missed both Padme and Bail. However, in his scramble to avoid the tumbling mass, Bail lost his footing and tumbled off the side of the dock, catching himself, but barely.

Anakin looked up, catching the eye of two Protectors across from him. “Help him!” 

He didn’t wait for acknowledgement. He took off in the direction he’d seen the fluttering cloak of their assailant disappear, and spotted them within a few meters. The figure must have heard him, as they turned and began firing. He ducked the first couple of shots as he ignited his lightsber, then deftly began bouncing the bolts off his blade back toward the ground.

The figure was agile and quick, and Anakin scrambled to keep up, leaping up and down from various stacks of containers as he pursued them. He was terrified he would lose them, and, just as he was afraid they’d get away with one last jump to freedom, two Protectors rose from the ground, backlit with the glow of their jetpacks, blasters drawn.

The assailant skidded to a stop in obvious surprise, and Anakin took the moment to seize them through the Force. Lifted into the air, they squirmed against the invisible grip. He pulled them towards him, walking slowly, hand raised as he summoned them closer through the Force.

“That was my  _ wife  _ you were shooting at. My friend you nearly killed. I  _ really  _ don’t like it when people mess with my family.” They were within arm’s reach, so he stepped up and ripped the cloak down. “ _ Lolo _ ?!”

Lolo Purs, the Rodian protege to Onaconda Farr, hovered in the air before him, blaster still in her hand, pinned to her side. “What the hell, Lolo?” he said, completely shocked. She was always so sweet. Mild mannered, even.

Rau touched down next to Anakin, pulling binders from his belt. “I got this, sir. Go tend to your wife. I’ve called the police and the inspector should be here momentarily.”

Anakin thumped Rau on the shoulder, gave one last look at Lolo, who had yet to speak, and turned to go find Padme. 

He jogged back in the direction he had come, and quickly found Padme and Bail back by the loading bays, a few Protectors hovering close, making sure they were alright. 

“Are you two ok?” he asked, as he approached.

“Anakin!” Padme shouted, throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank goodness,” she said quietly into his ear. Then she glanced up behind him, where Rau and two more Protectors were escorting Lolo toward the approaching police speeder. “Lolo? Lolo, this was you?”

“Farr brought war to my planet! He had to pay,” the Rodian shouted as Rau handed her over to the police droids that had arrived with Inspector Divo. “He was  _ weak.  _ We needed a strong leader!” she continued to shout, as she was hauled toward the waiting speeder.

“I thought I told you to stay out of my investigation, Senator Amidala,” Divo said, pointing a finger in her face. Rau and another Protector moved closer to Padme, flanking her.

“It looks as if we  _ solved  _ your investigation, Inspector,” she replied, head held high. “We’ll expect a full briefing on her statement tomorrow morning.” Bail chuckled, but nodded in agreement. 

Divo turned, moving back toward the speeder. “You got lucky,” he grumbled. “Luck doesn’t equate to good police work.”

“Certainly not, Inspector,” Bail said, ever the diplomat.

As the speeder moved off, Padme turned to Anakin. “It looks like I owe you a big thanks, Ani.”

Anakin shrugged. “See? It pays to have Protectors with you.”

* * *

  
  


It was much later, well into the middle of the night, by the time they had assured Bail made it back to his apartment, and Padme and Anakin had returned to their own. 

Padme had headed directly to the fresher for a shower, and Anakin had undressed, slipping into soft sleep pants and a loose tunic before opening a bottle of wine. He knew Padme well enough, without even reaching out to her signature in the Force, to know she would be tightly wound and need time to calm down before ever hoping to fall asleep.

He wasn’t wrong. Within a few minutes, she stepped out into the living room in her robe, her long, dark hair falling in loose, damp tendrils over her shoulders, a brush in her hand. She sat down on the sofa, and took the glass of wine he offered. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before he set down his glass of wine, picked up the brush, and, with a gesture for her to turn, began to slowly work the knots out of her hair.

“Padme, I owe you an apology,” he said quietly as she pulled knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

“No, Ani-”

“No, no, I do,” he said, hushing her. “I reacted badly to you going off without any protection. I should have made my concern known much differently.”

Her shoulders shook a little with a silent laugh. “Ok. Maybe you’re right. Questioning my intelligence and saying….what did you say?”

“I said you were  _ ori’buyce, kih’kovid.  _ All helmet, no head.” 

She snorted a laugh. “Gods, Mando’a has a certain poetic way of phrasing things.”

He laughed, then turned serious. “But, really, I  _ am  _ sorry. I worry so much for you, and after what happened with Korkie and Lily, and everything that’s been going on, I just lost my head-”

“Anakin, you’re right.”

He stilled mid brush stroke. “I am?”

“I am foolish and reckless sometimes, and I have to remember that it’s not just me anymore.” She turned to face him, laying a hand on his cheek. “It’s unfair of me to cause you so much worry. You’ve made so many sacrifices to stay safer for me, for your family, I can at least take a few guards with me when I’m out and about.”

He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. “Thank you, Padme. I love you.”

She leaned in and kissed him. “I love you, too. Thank you for rescuing me and Bail tonight.”

“I will do anything to keep you safe, Padme.” He kissed her back, pulling her into his lap. “ _ Anything. _ ”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is way more about Anakin and Padme and their recklessness and how it effects each other, and very little to do with the "palace intrigue" type stuff that is going on around them. I have always wondered if canon Anakin knew about the stuff Padme was getting up to while he was away, fighting the war, and what he would have done if he HAD known. 
> 
> Also, Obi-Wan being mad at the council is always going to be one of my favorite things.
> 
> You all are the best!


	43. Pick Fights Worth Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made. Discussions are had. And it all leaves Bo-Katan feeling things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just...a bunch of talking. Who knew Mandalorians could be so talkative?

_ 20 BBY _

Bo-Katan sat on the floor of the fresher, somewhere off of some secluded hallway in the palace, and willed herself to breath deep and not cry.

Bo could count on maybe one hand how many times she had cried over the last fifteen years or so. Pre considered tears a weakness in his commandos in general, but Bo had swiftly learned that crying in front of Pre when they were alone only egged him on to be meaner. She had learned to be stoney in the face of all sorts of horror, and had only cried a few times, safely tucked away in her room, either alone or with Ursa. It was just safer that way, to take what he gave with a hard stoicism. It was a survival mechanism. She wasn’t dumb. She understood that. 

But in the past weeks, her emotions seemed to be running, far, far closer to the surface than they ever had before, and she had cried more times than she cared to admit, or, if not outright cried, had completely lost her cool. She was starting to find it obnoxious.

Yet, here she sat, begging herself to pull it together so she could move on with her day, after talking with the mind healer that she had promised Satine she would at least  _ try  _ to work with. 

This first talk hadn’t even been terribly exciting. Frankly, it had been quite mundane- mostly just questions about Bo’s general health and well being, and a very, very basic, detail free run down of Bo’s past. 

Which is why Bo couldn’t understand  _ why  _ she was sitting on the floor of a fresher, ten minutes late for a meeting with Obi-Wan, fighting a flood of tears. It was….embarrassing.

Her commlink went off, and she swiped viciously at her eyes and cleared her throat before answering. “Yes?”

“Where are you?” It was Tol’ket. Of course it was kriffing Tol’ket.

“I’m on my way,” she lied. “I got held up in another meeting.” Another lie.

“Hmmm….alright then. See you soon.” The comm clicked off. She sighed in frustration. She didn’t need to see his face to know that he knew she was lying. Nothing got past that man.

She dragged herself up off the floor and splashed cold water on her face. She’d have to ask Dr. Airini why she was so touchy and emotional the next time she saw her.  _ If  _ she saw her, that is. Satine hadn't specified how many times she had to see the gruff, practical seeming mind healer to count as  _ trying. _

Satisfied she was under control, more or less, Bo quickly made her way through the palace to Obi-Wan’s office. 

Tol’ket was waiting for her in the small antechamber, pressing a cup of caf into her hands, like some sort of peace offering. She hadn’t seen him or even spoken to him since she had abruptly fled his office with Ursa a week earlier. Yet another source of embarrassment.

“Are you well, Bo?” he asked, giving her a quick, appraising look.

She nodded. “Well enough,” she lied. He knew it, she could tell, but he said nothing. “How was Coruscant?” she asked, hoping to get the scrutiny off of her.

He grumbled deep in his chest. “Not as bad it can be, but we weren’t even there for a full rotation. Hard to get into too much trouble on that hellhole in that little time.” He flashed her a crooked smile, and she felt some of her tension melt away a bit. 

She smiled back at him. “Good. No use getting into trouble if I’m not there to enjoy it, too.” He laughed, and they were still chuckling when Obi-Wan called them in.

“Apologies, Bo-Katan, for the delay in this meeting,” he said, gesturing for her to take a seat.

Bo sat as Tol’ket took up a position near the floor to ceiling window, idly watching the activity outside. “No apology necessary, Kenobi. Funerals can’t be helped.” She reclined in her seat a bit as Obi-Wan sat down behind his desk. “It proved useful, anyway. Gave me some time to think.”

“Oh?” Obi-Wan said.

Bo nodded. “I wasn’t terribly keen on bringing Fenn Rau to Concordia when Tol’ket first mentioned it to me, but I have since decided it may prove beneficial.” Tol’ket turned around and looked at her with an expression Bo couldn’t quite read. 

Obi-Wan nodded, thoughtful. “Good. Rau’s resume is impressive, both as a pilot and as an instructor.”

“Yes. So I have seen from what was forwarded to me. He was a good pilot when I knew him. Seems he’s worked hard since then,” Bo said.

“I didn’t realize you knew him,” Obi-Wan said, mild surprise on his face.

Bo shrugged. “He was one of my Protectors for a time before the civil war turned especially nasty. He was reassigned to Satine after our father was killed, shortly before you came to her rescue.” She smiled at Obi-Wan, though she knew the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I will say, Kenobi, bringing in a Protector to train Death Watch pilots isn’t something I expect to go over terribly well back on Concordia.”

“Hmm, yes, I can see how that may pose a problem,” Obi-Wan said, rubbing his chin contemplatively. “But they worked well with Tol’ket and the Protectors he brought when you had Maul in custody,” he said, looking at Tol’ket.

“They like a fight and will happily fight alongside anyone against the right common enemy,” Bo said. “Maul and a bunch of traitorous  _ auruetiise _ was enough to make them cooperative.” She shook her head. “Taking instruction will be a different matter.”

Tol’ket moved then to sit next to her. “I’ve had time to think, too,” he said.

“Oh?” Bo and Obi-Wan asked in unison.

“Indeed,” he said. “We’ll go about it as a way to further legitimize Death Watch. The Protectors and Death Watch both want to protect and defend Mandalore, yes?” He waited for them to nod before continuing. “This is an exchange of knowledge to help that, then. If an already well established organization is willing to share knowledge with Death Watch, that will help solidify their legitimacy.”

Bo stared at Tol’ket. The man was brilliant. 

“I think you may be on to something, Tol’ket,” Obi-Wan said. 

Bo shook herself out of her dumbstruckness. “You very well may be, friend. I won’t say that will instantly make it easier, but it will definitely lessen any perceived slight some of my crabbier pilots may feel.”

“Brilliant, then,” Obi-Wan said, clapping his hands together with satisfaction. “I will leave you two to sort out the details of it.”

“Certainly, sir,” Tol’ket said, Bo nodding in agreement.

“This was far easier than I thought it would be,” Obi-Wan said, grinning cheekily at Bo. “I assumed wrongly you’d put up more of a fight.”

Bo rolled her eyes. “I’m not stubborn purely for the sake of being stubborn. It’s a good idea and if it can make Death Watch’s continued transition into legitimacy easier, then I fully support it.”

Obi-Wan’s smile turned a touch wicked. “Of course, Bo. Now if only you could convince your sister to be so reasonable.”

Bo barked a laugh before clapping a hand over her mouth. She had always known there was a reason she’d been drawn to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and here it was playing out in front of her. The man loved her sister. That was without question. But he clearly questioned her steadfast stance on pacifism, too.

“Give her good enough ideas, Kenobi, and she will be easy enough to work with, as well,” she said in reply. 

“Sage advice, Obi-Wan,” Tol’ket said.

“Then give me some good ideas to convince her to go wipe Saxon and Maul off of the face of Carlac,” Obi-Wan said, voice laced with frustration.

“I take it the meeting with the Jedi didn’t go well,” Bo said.

Tol’ket scoffed. “They were useless.”

“Jedi  _ are _ useless,” Bo said. “Present company excluded, of course,” she added, looking at Obi-Wan.

“Once again, I remind you that I am not, in fact, a Jedi.”

“You’re magical and your preferred weapon is a lightsaber. You look like a Jedi to me.” Bo looked at Tol’ket for confirmation. He nodded, crossing his arms across his chest.

“The Force isn’t mag- You know what, I’m not getting into the finer details of the Force with you two right now.” Obi-Wan stood, and began to pace. “Seriously, Bo, take some time to think about Carlac and what we need to do to convince Satine. The longer we wait to act, the more I worry that we won’t be able to protect Anakin.”

“We could just  _ do  _ it,” she said. Tol’ket shook his head.

“No, we can’t,” Obi-Wan said. “We really can’t.”

“Then  _ I  _ can just do it,” Bo said, standing to pace as well. “Forget our legitimacy. I’ll take who and what I have and go blow them to hell. Satine can condemn the action all she wants, say, with all truthfulness, we acted under our own volition. Say it was an overly aggressive act of retaliation for who they killed when they escaped Concordia-”

“And you would break her heart all over again, Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan said quietly, moving to stand in front of her, stopping her pacing. He grasped her upper arms gently, forcing her to face him. “I won’t have that. Not just as you two begin to heal.”

Bo resisted the urge to pull free from him, reminding herself that she  _ trusted  _ him. Instead she cast her eyes down to their feet. Offhandedly ,she noted how immaculately polished Obi-Wan’s boots were. Was that a Jedi thing? “I rather break her heart now than risk her child because we refused to act.”

“And I rather come up with a solution that keeps my family intact on all accounts, Bo. We’ll figure it out, alright?” Obi-Wan ducked his head to force Bo to look at him. “Alright?”

“Right. Fine.” She sighed. “I’ll think about how to broach it with her.”

“Good.” He let go of her, moving away.

Bo glanced at the chrono on Obi-Wan’s wall. “Gentlemen, this has been a blast, as usual, but I need to get back to base.” 

“Of course, Bo-Katan. Thank you for taking time out of your day,” Obi-Wan said, seeing her toward the door. “Best to go now before Lily gets wind that you’re here, or you’ll never get off of Mandalore.”

Bo smiled at that. “Or I’ll just take her with me.”

“It would be a relief to us all if you did,” Tol’ket chuckled. “I’ll see you to your shuttle.”

“You don’t-” She noted the hard look he gave her, and she shook her head, relenting, unwilling to put up a fight over whether or not she needed protecting today. “Fine.”

She said her goodbyes to Obi-Wan, and then walked in silence through the palace with Tol’ket. When they arrived at the speeder waiting to take her back to the shuttle, he waved off the Protector assigned to drive. “I’ll take her,” he said curtly. The Protector gave a crisp nod and jogged back to the palace.

“You  _ must  _ have better things to do than drive me around Sundari,” Bo said, as they climbed into the speeder. 

He frowned and shook his head. “Nothing I can think of,” then flashed her his crooked smile again. He drove in silence for a moment, merging into traffic, before giving her a quick, serious look. “Are you sure about Rau?”

She slumped in her seat. “ _ Cui ogir’olar,”  _ she growled. “My childish hurt feelings can’t stand in the way of what can ultimately be a very good thing for Mandalore as a whole.”

“It isn’t your hurt feelings that concern me, Bo,” Tol’ket said quietly. “But Rau’s very real feelings for you.”

“ _ Wayii,  _ Tol’ket! That is  _ none  _ of your concern, even if that were the case. Which it is not. How would you even know that, anyway?”

“It is my concern if his feelings cloud his judgement and he fails to do his job. And I’m not blind, Bo. I saw how he looked at you.”

“Oh? And how was that?”

“Like a man who has spent the last fifteen years of his life becoming intimate with regret.”

She turned in her seat to face him fully. “You’re absurd. This conversation is absurd. There are no leftover lingering feels, Tol’ket. And, if there were, he’s already proven himself capable of doing his job with them.” She threw her hands in the air. “ _ Manda’ner!  _ As a teenager, he went ahead and left me, followed his orders and left me. He’s a grown ass man, now. So, if there  _ are  _ feelings- and there aren’t- I am sure he’s even more capable of setting them aside and doing his duty.”

He glanced at her, then grunted. “Alright, Bo. I’ll follow your lead on this, then.”

She slumped back into her seat. “Good. Life would be so much easier if you’d just do that without all the arguing.”

“I’m not  _ arguing,  _ Bo-Katan-”

“That sounds like an argument.”

He growled in frustration. “You are a ridiculous woman.”

“And you’re an over grown, nosy  _ ba’buir  _ who can’t mind his own business.”

“You  _ are  _ my business.” She glared at him. “We’ve had this discussion. As a Kryze. As my  _ friend,  _ you are my business. You want our lives to be easier?” He gestured between the two of them. "Well, they would get a whole hell of a lot easier if you would just accept the fact that I care about you. That not only do I want you to be safe, but I do, actually, really care that you are happy.” He stopped the speeder at the edge of the landing platform. “Can you just accept that, and can we just  _ please  _ move on with being two friends who can express concern for each other’s well being without name calling and dirty looks?”

Bo stared at him in stunned silence. 

“Bo? Is that really too much to ask?” Tol’ket asked, brushing his hand lightly across the top of hers, still resting on the console between them.

She cleared her throat. “No- yes. Wait.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry, sorry. Yes. Yes, I can accept that.” She turned her hand over and squeezed Tol’ket’s, running her thumb across his knuckles. “I don’t deserve a friend like you.”

He scoffed and gently tipped her chin up with his knuckle, forcing her to meet his gaze. “There you go being ridiculous again. Why would you even say such a thing?”

It was her turn to scoff. “Is this really baggage we want to unpack sitting here in a speeder, when we both have work to do?”

He chuckled, squeezing her hand. “Possibly not right now. But one day I will list every kriffing reason you deserve a friend like me. But, for now, just know that you do, alright?”

“I’ll take your word for it,” she said, giving him a skeptical look. She gently pulled her hand loose, feeling the lingering slide of his fingers against hers. “I’m sorry I called you a nosy  _ ba’buir.” _

“Please. You’ve called me far worse.”

She slipped out of the speeder. He followed suit. “Alright, then. I’m sorry I constantly pick fights with you.”

They moved slowly to her shuttle, shoulders bumping lightly as they walked side by side. “You’re a Kryze, Bo. I know your family well enough to know that picking fights is a pastime. We just need to learn to pick fights that are worth fighting.”

She shook her head and laughed. “That’s a very realistic approach, actually.” They stopped at her shuttle. She pressed a few controls on her gauntlet, and the ramp began to lower. 

Tol’ket stood close, facing her now, and she found herself fighting the urge to grab his hand once more, to feel the grounding effect it had on her again. “I...uh….I’ll talk to Rau and get some dates together for you to have him on Concordia,” he said. The sudden change back to a professional conversation all but gave Bo whiplash. 

“Oh. Right, yes. Good. Please do that,” she stammered, trying to get her head back on task. She turned to go up the ramp. “Thanks, Tol’ket,” she said, moving away.

He grabbed her hand before she could get out of reach. “Bo?” he said, his voice quiet.

“Yes?”

“I don’t mind fighting with you, Bo. Because you’re a friend worth fighting for.” He let go of her hand, gave her a little salute, and moved back toward the speeder.

For the second time in a matter of minutes, he had stunned her into silence.

* * *

  
  


The shuttle flight between Sundari and Concordia was just long enough for Bo’s thoughts to drive Bo up the wall. She was half crazed by the time Ursa met her at the bottom of the ramp, shoving a datapad into her hand. 

“Sundari was  _ that  _ good today, huh?” Ursa said, giving Bo a quick once over.

“I need many stiff drinks. Or, I need to go hide in the nursery and snuggle toddlers for an hour or two. Or possibly both. In that order,” Bo said, staring down at the datapad, trying to get her brain to click back into some sort of functioning behavior. 

“You can do neither right now, so suck it up, boss,” Ursa said. “You’ve got to play governor for the rest of the day.”

“Right, right. I know,” Bo said, now realizing she was looking at the agenda for her meeting with the various delegates from settlements across the moon. Her brain was still in Sundari. 

“Greer. I need Greer. Greer!”

“Oof, hi, right here, boss,” the man said, appearing on her other side. She realized too late he’d been there all along.

  
“Sorry. I didn’t see you,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “I need you to come up with as many defense based arguments as you can think of for why we need to strafe Saxon and his faction straight to hell. We need something that’s going to make the Duchess  _ beg  _ us to do it. We’re going to start picking fights worth fighting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that the author has made no official position on Bo'Ket. 
> 
> For the record, Bo usually hijacks my brain, but Tol'ket had THINGS TO SAY to that woman today, and he is 100% to blame for their....chat.
> 
> I'm not going to deep dive into Bo and her talks with the mind healer. I did do some research into abuse and trauma therapy work, but....it's a lot and I don't think we need to go there. Today's mention of it is almost exclusively built around my own experiences (for A LOT less traumatic issues). I just remember sometimes leaving the office after a fairly mundane chat and bursting into tears. Therapy is aaammmmazing, and poor Bo does NOT know what to make of it.
> 
> I know this was just a bunch of dialogue, but I love the way these people interact with each other. Bo and Tol'ket are a given, but I do really like Obi-Wan and Bo, too, and Bo's almost instant, easy faith in Obi-Wan. We all know Obi-Wan is just built different, and I like how she just gets it. Lots of fun, less talky, more blow things uppy coming, but nothing happens without the "how do we deal with Satine" chats. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Auruetiise- outsiders or traitors  
> Cui ogir'olar- It's irrelevant.  
> Manda'ner- Basically the closest thing to "Good god!" that Mandos have.
> 
> You all are the best!!!!


	44. Give her a fight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fenn Rau comes to Concordia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I REALLY like to post in the mornings, so this is way late! But a lot of my writing time yesterday was taken up with Chapter 9 of our favorite, shiny Dadalorian and his wee green baby boy. And then more of it was taken up with talking endlessly about it. Hope you all got to watch it!!! No spoilers from me....should go without saying, but be nice in the comments here, too!
> 
> FYI, I realized my math is all over the place in the timeline of this family. Kids are definitely the right age, but if you notice discrepancies in years gone by since certain events, just....Jedi business. Go back to your drinks.
> 
> Hope you like this one! It may be a bit silly to start, but considering who is in the silliness, I know you all won't mind.

_ 20 BBY _

Sunrise on Concordia, especially from altitude, Obi-Wan thought, was a particularly lovely sight. Mandalore’s moon was a good deal more picturesque than Mandalore itself, though not without its own scars from the endless wars Mandalorians had waged against themselves. But it was healing, far faster than Mandalore, and the striking terrain and young forests gave the sunrise a certain ethereal quality.

The sight Obi-Wan didn't find quite as lovely, as the shuttle made its descent onto the landing pad, was the rows and rows of Death Watch commandos, all standing at attention, bits of polished beskar catching the morning light, waiting to be reviewed by their Mand'alor. Bo-Katan's sense of humor was seriously questionable at times.

Tol’ket chuckled from over his shoulder. “Oh, Bo,” he said under his breath, seeing the same sense of humor that Obi-Wan saw.

Rau, who was piloting the shuttle, glanced at the rows of commandos. “Is this not standard?”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “I would prefer for it not to be, but Bo-Katan takes a certain amount of pleasure in reminding me that I, technically, command Death Watch.”

Rau gave a noncommittal grunt that could have been taken as a laugh and set the shuttle down gently on the platform. Bo was waiting at the bottom of the ramp as the three men disembarked, practically vibrating with glee. Oh, yes. She knew  _ exactly _ what she was doing. She may have had her helmet on, but Obi-Wan knew that under it was a very wicked grin.

“Mand’alor!” she greeted loudly and with respect, only a hint of humor hiding in her voice. Somehow the rows of commandos straightened even more. “Death Watch awaits your review.”

She turned and gave a barely perceptible nod to Ursa Wren. Ursa nodded back. “Oya Manda!” she shouted, voice clear and commanding.

“Oya Manda!” the troops shouted back, giving Obi-Wan a crisp, perfectly synchronized salute. Obi-Wan groaned quietly. 

“Face center!” Ursa shouted, and, enmasse, the troops all turned sharply on their heels to face the center, leaving a perfect path to walk down. Bo gestured for Obi-Wan to lead the way. He glared at her as he passed her, but began to walk through the crowd, nodding appreciatively as he went. She followed behind, Tol’ket and Rau flanking her.

“Present arms!” Ursa shouted, and every troop, in unison, pulled their pair of blasters, crossing them smartly in front of the visors of their helmets.

“How long did you all work on this?” Obi-Wan heard Tol’ket mutter to Bo.

“Only a couple of days. They’re not  _ all  _ a bunch of karking misfits with blasters,” she said, pride clear even with her voice modulator. “They  _ are  _ all a bunch of show offs, though.”

“Protectors need to up their game, Tol’ket,” Rau muttered.

“Don’t you  _ dare,”  _ Obi-Wan hissed. Bo snorted a laugh. A terribly unbecoming sound through her helmet’s modulator. 

They made their way through the troops to the far side of the makeshift parade grounds. Obi-Wan stopped and turned to face them. “Order arms!” Ursa shouted from the far side. Blasters were holstered in perfect synchronization. “Face rear!” As one, they swiveled on their heels to face Obi-Wan. “Oya Manda!” Ursa shouted again.

“Oya Manda!” the troops replied, saluting sharp and crisp yet again.

“Dismissed!” she shouted, and they all quickly dispersed to their various duties, a few nodding or saluting Obi-Wan as they passed. A few even slapped Tol’ket good naturedly on the shoulder.

Obi-Wan turned to Bo, who pulled off her helmet, and, as he suspected, was grinning wickedly. 

“That was...unnecessary,” he said, shaking his head in good humor.

“But it was  _ fun.  _ And they liked showing off for you,  _ Mand’alor.”  _ She tapped on his chestplate with a beskar covered knuckle. “And you dressed the part!”

“This is purely for show. I’d need full armor to be even near dressed for the part,” Obi-Wan said.

“That can be arranged.”

“Don’t you dare, Bo. Satine would kill me.”

Bo looked him up and down. “I don’t know, Kenobi. I think she’d  _ like  _ it. You would look  _ good _ in some shiny beskar.” Ursa walked up just at that moment. “Ursa, wouldn’t our Mand’alor make a fine sight in  _ beskar’gam?  _ Tol’ket? Fenn? Wouldn’t he be handsome?”

Ursa gave Obi-Wan the same appraising look, then  _ winked  _ at him. The woman had the audacity to wink at him. “Oh, yes. That is a sight I would pay good money to see.”

Rau’s cheeks tinged pink, and squirmed in his own armor. “Uh, of course.” The poor man was out of his element in the presence of Bo-Katan and Ursa Wren. Obi-Wan prayed the galaxy never had to deal with the two of them on the loose, Death Watch at their backs.

Tol’ket, the traitor, smirked, and, mimicking Bo and Ursa, gave Obi-Wan a good once over with his eyes. “Oh, hell yes,” he said lasciviously. Bo laughed, earning her a cheeky grin from Tol’ket. 

Ursa smacked him on the back. “Gods, do I like this man.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “You three,” gesturing sharply at his two seconds and Ursa, “are incorrigible. I should court martial you all for insubordination. Then you’d really get to see your Mand’alor in action.” They smirked at him, calling his bluff. “Alright. Enough with this. Rau has pilots to train.”

The rest of the day played out with far more seriousness. Rau was not only a stellar pilot, but an exceptional instructor. Too few people appreciated the skill one must have to be able to pass on knowledge that often came second nature to an expert. But Rau was adept at teaching. The tension that was first felt as Bo’s pilots congregated in a makeshift classroom ebbed away as he shared his knowledge, honing their skills, bonding with them over a mutual love of flying. 

Now, in the late afternoon, the pilots were taking turns in the few flight simulators Death Watch possessed. Obi-Wan stood in front of a display, watching the real time feeds of the simulators and the pilots progress through the exercises. 

“They’re quite good, Bo-Katan,” Rau was saying to Bo, his voice low, head ducked close to her ear. “A bit rough around the edges, but they handle themselves well.”

She nodded, eyes trained on the screen in front of her. “Considering most are self-taught, or they taught each other, I’m very happy with them. Now if only they could get a chance to serve Mandalore. We’re lucky so many stayed true after...our uprising. But system patrols are getting old. They need to feel useful.”

“In due time, Bo, in due time,” Obi-Wan said, feeling the same anxiousness she felt.

“I’m surprised you aren’t training with them,” Rau said to Bo, his tone less serious now. “You seem to have your hands in everything else. I’m surprised you’re not a pilot, too.”

Bo made a sour face. “No, no thank you. I can fly just fine, keep myself out of trouble when and if I need to, but I rather use my jetpack and my blasters than a starfighter when it comes down to it.”

Tol’ket, standing at Obi-Wan’s right elbow, chuckled. “That may be the most Bo-Katan Kryze thing I have ever heard.”

“Indeed,” Obi-Wan said with his own chuckle as Rau barked a laugh. Bo crossed her arms and glared at the screen.

The current simulation exercise concluded, and Rau moved in among the pilots for critiques and final thoughts. Bo watched the interactions, arms still crossed.

“This is going quite well, Bo,” Obi-Wan said, moving closer to her. “I hope your fears have been assuaged a bit by the first day.”

She nodded solemnly. “I am pleased, Kenobi. I am looking forward to tomorrow and getting to see them in some real action up there.” She gestured to the sky, where they would spend tomorrow, in and out of the atmosphere, running real, in flight drills and fighting in mock skirmishes. “At least they’ll have some fun.” She smiled fondly at the pilots speaking animatedly with Rau. She  _ was  _ so very proud of her troops, Obi-Wan realized. The Force was all but bathed in her pride. 

She turned her smile to him and Tol’ket. “I have some other things I need to do before I can call it a day. I will see you both at dinner tonight.”

“Of course, Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan said, returning her smile. “Once again, thank you for working with the Protectors. We are doing good things here for Mandalore.”

She paused at the door, smiled again. “That we are, Mand’alor. That we are.” Her eyes flicked to Tol’ket for a brief moment, and then she disappeared off into the base.

“We need to give her a fight, Obi-Wan,” Tol’ket said quietly after she left. “She needs to prove herself. Prove Death Watch.”

Obi-Wan sighed, feeling exhausted. “I know, old friend. I know.”

* * *

Dinner had been meant to be a formal affair of sorts. Bo had put Obi-Wan, and, in turn, Tol’ket and Rau, up in the governor’s mansion for their stay. So, with that, Bo had arranged for a dinner, inviting Ursa and Greer to join them. Bo had even dressed in some of the actual clothing Satine had acquired for her, Bo caving to her sister’s insistence that armor was, in fact, not appropriate attire for all occasions. 

Because Ursa was Ursa, the formal dinner had devolved into a riotous storytelling party as Sabine- because of course she brought Sabine, much to Bo’s relief- was passed from lap to lap to lap. Bo had even loosened up enough to share, when pressed by Rau, a very watered down version of her time as second in command of Death Watch.

But now, much later in the night, Ursa and Sabine and Greer had returned to the base. Obi-Wan had excused himself to go say goodnight via holo to Satine and retire himself for the evening. Rau and Tol’ket, too, after a couple of glasses of  _ tihaar  _ and a few Protector stories, had turned in, too.

Bo sat alone out on the balcony off of the library, overlooking a young, thriving forest. She had slipped out of her shoes and the tailored coat she had worn to dinner and was enjoying the pleasant early summer night. A bottle of wine sat on the table next to her, a glass next to it, nearly ready to be filled again. 

She was unlikely to sleep tonight, and, if she did, she would opt for the sofa in the library behind her, or even out on the balcony, as pretty as the night was. She hated this building, particularly at night. It made her very skin crawl. She glanced over the ridge to the north where the base lay, and considered just slipping out like a wraith, head to the utilitarian comfort of the little apartment she shared with Ursa, back on the base. She could sleep there, safe from the memories and ghosts this place filled with after dark.

A noise in the library caused her to start, then relax. She wasn't really surprised she had company.

"Come drink wine with me. It's a lovely night," she called over her shoulder. 

"It is indeed," said Fenn as he stepped on to the balcony and moved to settle next to her on the low bench. Bo fought down her disappointment- she hadn't expected Fenn to be her company- and reached for the second wine glass she had brought out with her in anticipation of someone joining her. 

She handed Fenn his glass, giving him a small, welcoming grin. He took it, tipping his head in thanks. He gasped on his first sip.

"Damn, that's good," he said in appreciation. "Is this Alderaanian?"

Bo nodded as she drank from her refilled glass. "Alrich Wren was given an entire case of it by some stinking rich Alderaanian businessman that he did a commission for, " she explained. “Ursa gave me a couple of bottles." She shrugged, taking another sip, savoring the heady, rich taste. "What are you doing up, Fenn?" she asked.

He relaxed into the cushions on the bench, body turned to face her slightly. He huffed a little exasperated sigh. "Been on Coruscant a little too long. It's too karking quiet here." She chuckled. Concordia  _ was  _ blissfully peaceful at night. There wasn't even much nocturnal wildlife moving around in the trees. "Why are you up, Bo?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

Bo hesitated for a moment, unsure how much she wanted to share. "I don't typically sleep here," she finally said. "So, when I do spend the night, I'm a bit restless." Good, fine, she thought to herself. That should be enough without too many prying follow up questions.

"You're the governor, though, yes? Isn't this your mansion?" Alright, she was wrong.

"It  _ is  _ the governor's mansion, and it is used for official business and entertaining. I  _ live  _ on the base."

He made a noncommittal noise in reply and drank his wine, studying her. They sat like that for a few minutes, just enjoying a semi-easy silence. 

Bo studied him as much as he was clearly studying her. The boyish good looks she had been so drawn to as a girl had grown into a handsome, if not imposing, man. Their fair, ginger complexion had been a shared joke between them in their youth, as he’d often been teased for it among the other Protectors in Bo’s personal detail. But, he’d grown into his features and wore them well now. His burnished gold hair was cropped short, as seemed to be customary among Protectors these days. She missed how it used to flop across his pale blue eyes.

Despite her father’s advisors’ insistence that he not allow Fenn to grow attached to Bo, he had all but encouraged it. Bo had come to realize, as she and Fenn had grown closer as teenagers, that it wasn’t because her father was a hopeless romantic, but a savvy strategist. He believed strongly that affection, love, made people more fierce, more protective of those they loved. He had, after all, been viciously protective of both his daughters and their mother. So, when he caught wind that one of his youngest daughter’s Protectors had grown enamored with her, he had not only allowed it, but made it easier for them to fall in youthful love.

Her father had been right. As the civil war escalated, Fenn grew into a fierce warrior to protect the girl he loved. After the bloody attack that had killed her father, the remaining Clan Kryze leadership had taken notice of Fenn’s defensive prowess. It was what had gotten him pulled from Bo and placed with Satine, their father’s heir and the new ruler of Mandalore. They had been in short supply of Protectors, many having given their lives for the throne, so, of course, their priority was for the heir.

Which reminded her of a question that had been burning her up since she’d seen him on Coruscant. Since Tol’ket had sent her Fenn’s resume, detailing his history after the civil war. “Why did you leave the Protectors? You could have had Tol’ket’s position now had you stayed.”

He took his eyes off of her, looked out toward the dark forest, then sighed. “When the fighting was over and the Duchess returned, no one could find you. You were presumed dead. Most assumed you had died shortly after the Duchess escaped with the Jedi.” Bo nodded, though he wasn’t looking at her. Satine had told her as much herself.

He turned back toward her, though looked down into his wine glass instead of at her. “I...I was devastated. Grief stricken. I could barely function as a man, let alone as a Protector, so I left.”

Bo’s heart thudded in her chest. She wondered if he could hear it. “Oh,” she said meekly.

“Yes, well…” He drifted off, took a sip of his wine, eyes darting to her face over the glass before settling back down. “The Kaminoans got wind of me and my  _ heroics-”  _ he said that with a dramatic eye roll “-a few years after I left, and offered me a job training the clones, so I took it.”

“But you came back?”

He nodded. “I did. The clones got to a point where they could train each other, I felt, and I was pining for Mandalore. Kamino is a depressing, rainy pit, if you ask me. So, I resigned and came back.” He shrugged. “Tol’ket reinstated me as a Protector almost immediately, and it wasn’t long before Anakin was heading off to Coruscant with Merrik. Tol’ket gave me the command there.” He finally looked her in the eyes again. “Now here we are.”

“But why didn’t you reach out to me when I came back?” She didn’t feel the same heat and anger she had felt when she ran into him a few weeks earlier on Coruscant. Now she was just curious. If he was so grief stricken for her apparent loss, then why did he not think to send word to her? Obviously, it was a well known fact that the long lost sister of the Duchess had returned.

He growled, a low sound emanating from his chest. “To be frank, I  _ am  _ embarrassed about that. At first I was angry. I saw you wearing Death Watch armor and it made me furious. But then I heard you killed Vizsla,” he said with wonder. She stiffened at the name, at the memory. Wondered for a foolish moment if invoking his name in this building would conjure his ghost. “Stars, Bo, I have so many questions,” he added with a laugh. She smiled stiffly at him. 

“Anyway, I  _ did  _ think about getting a message to you, at least, but, well, just because we are on Coruscant doesn’t mean we don’t know what’s going on at home. You’ve been….busy.”

She laughed humorlessly. “That’s one way of putting it.”

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them a bit. “But then you came in with Tol’ket, and,  _ wayii,  _ I was just struck by you all over again. I wasn’t lying when I told you I have thought of you every day.” He moved to take her hand, but then pulled back, obviously remembering what she had told him about touching. She nodded and opened her hand to him. He took it, squeezed it. “I had thought maybe I had stopped loving you, Bo. That maybe I was past it. But then you’re there, in the flesh, and I realized I had never stopped. I’m afraid I handled myself poorly that night.”

She shook her head. “You caught me on a very bad night, is all. But, Fenn, really? It’s been-” she paused, doing the math in her head- “it’s been, stars, it’s been eighteen years!” She suddenly felt ancient.

“So what, Bo?”

“We were  _ children.” _

He chuckled, brushing his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. “You have a nephew that is married to a woman he swears he fell in love with when he was nine years old.”

“Anakin spent the interim years growing up in a loving home, not fighting some holy war against his own family. Not suffering under the thumb of Pre Vizsla. Not running away from grief and duty to his people,” Bo said, now feeling a bit of the anger she had felt before. “We are  _ different  _ people, Fenn. I am not the little girl you thought you loved so truly when you were seventeen.”

“No, Bo-Katan, you are not. You are a remarkable, strong, beautiful woman.”

“You don’t even know me.”

He closed the gap between them more. Bo was vaguely aware of the clink of his glass as he set it down on the slate floor of the balcony. “I know enough.” With that, he closed the small remaining space and kissed her. It was soft, tentative, asking for permission, really, instead of demanding more. He pulled back almost as quickly as he had moved in, his eyes locking with hers. She nodded, barely, just a tiny dip of her chin. He kissed her again, harder this time, softly moaning her name as his lips pressed to hers. 

She melted into him, surprising herself at her compliance to his desires. One big hand laced around her head, tangling in her hair. The other made its way to the small of her back, dragging her to him, pressing her against his broad chest.

It was intoxicating. The feel of his gentle but firm hands- a stark contrast to the last hands that touched her with the same carnal intent- made her brain short circuit. She wrapped her arms around his neck, more to steady herself in the sudden rush of dizziness than anything else. The hand on her back slipped up under the light blouse she had worn under her jacket, and the slide of his calloused hand against her skin set the hair on her arms on end.

Her body was responding, fully onboard with the sudden detour the night had taken, but suddenly she felt her mind regain its clarity. She  _ wanted  _ this to feel right. To be right. She so desperately wanted this to be true. But it wasn’t. Something was off. She wasn’t sure what it was, but her mind warred against her body’s lust for his touch. For a time, her mouth was too occupied with kissing him, savoring him, tasting the heady red wine on his lips and tongue, to cooperate.

When his lips slipped away from hers and began coursing a path along her jaw to her neck, her brain finally gained control over her libido. “No,” she whispered. He didn’t hear her, or didn’t want to hear her.

Her arms moved from around his neck, placing her hands on his shoulders. She pushed him away. “No,” she said, finding her voice. “No, Fenn.” He looked at her, a mix of shock and sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I...I can’t do this. Something isn’t right.”

“Bo…”

“No.” She scrambled to her feet, and moved to the door, quicker than she imagined her lust-softened muscles would have allowed. She turned briefly to look at him over her shoulder. “Help yourself to the rest of the wine.” Then she fled through the house, ignoring the ghosts that whispered to her in the dark.

The door to the small guest quarters she had claimed as her own had barely slid shut when there was a knock. She growled as she turned back to open it. “I said I can’t-”

To her surprise, it was Tol’ket, not Fenn.

He gave her a careful, steady look before speaking. “Everything alright, Bo?”

She moved from the door, wordlessly inviting him in. “You were right,” she said quietly, moving across the room to sit on the little stool in front of a prim little vanity.

He stopped in the center of the room, as if shocked at her admission. “I was? About what?”

“About Fenn.”

He sighed. “Oh.” Then his face hardened. “He didn’t-”

“No, Tol’ket. No,” she said with a growl of frustration. She rested her elbows on her knees, cradled her head in her hands. “No. It’s...it’s fine. It was just a lot.” It was far from an eloquent description of the events that had just transpired, but it was enough for him.

“Hmm,” he grunted. Then she felt his presence come close, then sink to the floor. She looked up to find him sitting on the floor in front of her. Not too close, just at a companionable distance between them. It was then she finally noticed how ridiculous he looked. Sleep pants, bare feet, and some ancient, ratty sweater that he must have pulled on in haste. Somehow, it dwarfed him and she idly wondered if he was actually considered small for his family, as  _ clearly  _ that sweater was an heirloom. He sat cross legged, looking at her curiously. 

“Well, will it help to say that I’m sorry I was right?” he asked, finally, breaking the silence. 

She laughed. “Not especially, but thank you.” She studied him for a moment. “How did you know?”

He shrugged. “Rau is a remarkably good soldier and pilot, but he is a shit sabacc player. He can’t hide a damn thing. His feelings for you were written all over his face the second he saw you a few weeks back.”

Bo shook her head. “Or possibly, you’ve spent entirely too much time with Obi-Wan and have gotten too good at reading people.”

“There is that,” he said with a deep chuckle.

“Did I wake you?” Bo asked.

He shook his head. “No, I was reading. I heard you come up, which surprised me.” 

She nodded, relieved she hadn’t disturbed him. She ignored the part of her that was a bit cranky he hadn’t come to join her on the balcony. 

“You aren’t going to sleep, are you?” he asked, voice quiet, full of understanding of the things she didn’t wish to speak of.

She shook her head. “No, probably not.”

His eyes softened. “Do you want me to stay?”

_ Yes. “ _ No, no, Tol’ket, go get some rest. I have work I can do to distract me.”

He pursed his lips. He knew from what she needed distracting. He stood, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. The heat and weight of it settled her addled mind, grounding her to the present, pulling her away from the memories, both recent and distant. “Alright,  _ ner vod.  _ You know where to find me if you want company.”

She nodded. “I do. Thank you.”

He pulled his hand away, moved toward the door. “Of course, Bo. Anything for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan can't catch a break when at the hands of his chaos trio. And poor Fenn Rau doesn't know what to make of them all.
> 
> This chapter went haywire on me midway through. It did exactly what I wanted, but I had to jump around a little bit for a time, and for awhile, I was afraid I wrote in Bo's voice while writing from Obi-Wan's perspective. I don't think I did (seems right the couple of times I read it through)....but oops if I did!
> 
> Apologies for my bastardization of drill/parade commands. My ten minutes of reading on Wikipedia, and then making it work for Mandos probably will make some eyes bleed!
> 
> And now we've got some Rau info!!! It's a bit of move away from his actual canon story, but only some. 
> 
> Mando'a word of the day:  
> Beskar'gam: armor (literally metal skin)
> 
> You all are the best of the best! After this, we have a clean line of sight toward the finish (not that the finish is coming soon, but I guess you can say we're about to start up the final climb!). I'm super excited for it all! I've already started to write bits and pieces of it, even.


	45. The Pilots of Death Watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pilots of Death Watch are put through their paces. And show just what it means to be a pilot of Death Watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda short, just to close out our visit from Fenn Rau. 
> 
> I had a hard time focusing on this chapter because I kept thinking about what is coming NEXT, and I CAN NOT WAIT OMG Y'ALL.
> 
> I also keep getting massively distracted by scenes coming toward the end. You will hate me and love me soooooo much. 
> 
> Thanks a million and ten times for all the wonderful comments. You all are a source of joy to me in rather trying times.

_ 20 BBY _

Obi-Wan stood on the bridge of the largest ship in Death Watch’s fleet, the  _ Gauntlet,  _ and watched as the mean little  _ Kom’rk  _ starfighters raced around in the emptiness between Concordia and Mandalore. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief that these were  _ his,  _ were Mandalore’s, pilots and ships. Because they were frighteningly good. He once again wondered just what Bo-Katan had saved Mandalore from when she’d shot Pre Vizsla dead.

Rau, standing at his right side, made a sound of appreciation as they watched a particularly graceful set of maneuvers from a trio of ships. 

“If the Republic ever finds out just how good these pilots are, there could be trouble,” the Protector said with a note of surprise, eyes never leaving the roiling blackness beyond the viewport.

Obi-Wan said nothing, only nodded his head. He appreciated good pilots. He was one himself, even if he hated it to his core. His boys were both exceptional. Lily probably would be, as well. It was a heady and terrifying feeling to know that he commanded a small but absolutely ruthless fleet of brilliant fighter pilots. Mandalore could be unstoppable, if that were ever to be Mandalore’s goal.

He shook his head, chasing that thought from his mind. Those days were long over for his adopted people.

They all instinctively ducked as a fighter buzzed the bridge of the  _ Gauntlet _ , rattling the durasteel and computer consoles around them with the tremendous roar of its engines.

“Greer, that  _ dini’la besom,”  _ Bo growled, as she jumped to snatch her caf cup as it fell, rather impressively only losing a few drops. 

“Jaig leader, you are to be defending the  _ Gauntlet,  _ not taking suicide runs on it,” Rau barked into the comms.

“Aye, sir,” Greer came back, voice filling the room. “Just making sure you all are still awake up there.”

“Mission accomplished, pilot. Get back on task.”

“Affirmative,” Greer came back as his ship came barreling back over the bridge, drawing pilots from the opposing team away from their “attack” on the  _ Gauntlet _ . 

“ _ Mandokarla,  _ for sure,” Tol’ket said with an appreciative chuckle. 

“They’re a bunch of karking lunatics,” Bo said, though she smiled fondly as she watched the war game play out.

Rau chuckled in an awed sort of way. “It’s that self-taught element,” he said. “They aren’t caught up in any strict adherence to military protocol. They think freely and creatively and allow each other the freedom to do so.” He faced Obi-Wan. “They’re  _ surprisingly  _ good. I’m not kidding. I trained some damn fine pilots on Kamino. They talk about how those boys are engineered to think creatively, and they do, but, Mand’alor, this is a fearsome bunch.”

“They’re Mandalorians,” Bo said, indignant. “They’re  _ Death Watch _ , for kriff’s sake. Of course they’re fearsome. That’s the point.”

“I’m just saying-” Rau started.

“You’re shocked that they’re good and capable, is what you’re saying,” Bo snapped. “Everyone seems to be reluctant to take Death Watch seriously, like we’re a bunch of fucking Jawas running around in the woods, playing army. These men and women,” she gestured out into space, “are  _ warriors.  _ We train and practice and study so we can be the absolute best of the best. I’m not surprised they’re this good. I expect it of them.” 

“You’re right, Bo,” Tol’ket said quietly. “So is Rau.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Rau, I’ve spent a lot more time with Death Watch than you have. I’m not at all surprised to see this level of prowess. Obi-Wan probably isn’t either, at least, to a degree. I am relieved every day that Bo-Katan is in charge of them now and not Vizsla.” Obi-Wan huffed a little laugh, surprised to hear his own thoughts being said. 

“But Bo,” Tol’ket turned to Bo, “Rau is right, from a certain point of view. The fact that Death Watch is vastly underestimated, well, it will play into your favor.” He turned to face the viewport again, crossing his arms over his chest. “We need to keep it under wraps. Allow people to continue to think that Mandalore is peaceful with a newly acquired ragtag militia acting as some sort of pathetic excuse for defense.”

They all stood in silence for a moment, watched as two fighters rolled and dived around each other, working furiously to “tag” the other out. It was like watching a dance, quite mesmerizing. Obi-Wan mulled over Tol’ket’s thoughts. The man routinely surprised him with his astute, strategic, practical way of thinking. 

Bo broke the silence with a frustrated growl. “I hate it when you’re right,” she said, looking up at Tol’ket.

The man chuckled graciously. “I know you do, Bo.”

* * *

  
  


The war games had lasted well into the evening, moving back into the atmosphere to dog fight in the dark and clouds. Now, the group of pilots sat eating in the mess, chatting animatedly with Rau as he fielded questions or expounded on principles of battle in flight. Obi-Wan was pleased with the outcome of the past two days, not only in the training, but in the bridge that seemed to have been built between Death Watch and the Protectors. 

He sat eating his own meal with Bo-Katan, Tol’ket and Ursa, a ways off from the pilots, not wanting to distract them from their remaining time with Rau. Tol’ket was busying himself with wrangling Sabine, who was determined to fling his plate off the table. Bo and Ursa were talking quietly, heads close together. He wasn’t sure if it was related to Death Watch or something else, but he was content to sit mostly ignored, quiet with his thoughts.

His mind drifted to where it often did these days- Carlac, Saxon, and Maul. These last two days had given him a  _ very  _ clear picture of what he had at his disposal. He hated to think that he had become an aggressive warmonger, but he very much felt like Bo-Katan felt. He desperately wanted to go to Carlac and put an end to the threat. 

But, Satine.

Satine and her boundless faith in peace. Her relentless, aggressive pursuit of non-aggression. His beautiful, frustrating wife who was violently opposed to violence. He would  _ never  _ admit it outloud, but she drove him up the wall and tested his Jedi training endlessly. He loved her to no end, but there were times when he wanted to lock her in their quarters, and just own his title, take over, and put an end to Mandalore’s threats. At least for a few days. He was feeling it acutely in this moment, having seen just how capable Death Watch could be.

“Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. Tol’ket was addressing him, while at the same time his head was being dragged down to Sabine’s level by an earlobe.

“Sorry, Tol’ket, my mind was wandering. What were you saying?”

Tol’ket gestured with the baby toward Rau and the pilots, who were getting up from their tables, talking and laughing loudly, a few smacking Rau on the back as they passed. “Looks like we’re wrapping up. Shall I have the shuttle prepped?”

“Oh, yes, thank you, Tol’ket.”

Tol’ket nodded, then cast a pleading look of help toward Bo. Laughing, Bo stood and gently pried Sabine loose from Tol’ket’s ear and nose, and hoisted her from his lap to her hip. Tol’ket rose to his feet, gathering his datapad and ubiquitous cup of caf. He paused to tickle Sabine under the chin and give Bo a wink. “Goodbye, ladies. You, too, Ursa,” he said, grinning over Bo’s shoulder at Ursa.

“Kriff off, Tol’ket,” she replied with a warm smile, as Rau joined their little group, now the only ones left in the mess.

Tol’ket swiveled on his heel. “Proving my point, thank you,” he said over his shoulder, earning a laugh from both Bo and Ursa. Then he disappeared out toward the landing platform. 

“It appears we’re off for Mandalore. Thank you for your hospitality, Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan said, smiling.

“It is my honor to serve you,  _ Mand’alor,”  _ she said, bowing dramatically, making Sabine squeal in delight. Ursa, behind her, mimicked her.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “I will work on your sister some more about Carlac. You keep working on it from your end. We’ll get the bastards sooner than later, Bo.”

Bo’s face turned serious. “I hope so, Kenobi, I really do.” 

She turned to Rau. “Listen, Fenn, I realize you have plenty on your plate as it is, _ ”  _ she said, deftly catching a tiny fist as it was hurled toward her eye socket. “But I’d really like to keep this up. Maybe make this a regular thing for these  _ di’kuts.  _ That is, if you think it makes sense to do that.”

Obi-Wan felt an odd wave of tension wash over Rau, but the man straightened and nodded. “I do think it makes sense. They’re good. Might as well keep them sharp.”

She smiled at him. Obi-Wan realized that the tension was swirling between the two. It wasn’t just Rau. “Excellent. We’ll coordinate our schedules. I’m at your mercy, old friend, seeing as I don’t have a wild  _ jetii  _ senator to keep from routinely getting himself killed.”

“That senator’s father is standing right here,” Obi-Wan grumbled.

“Am I wrong?” Bo asked, swapping Sabine from her hip to cradle her in her arms. 

Obi-Wan chuckled, shaking his head. “No. It’s a good assessment of Anakin.”

“Right. Anyway, Fenn, you know how to get a hold of me.”

Fenn gave her a curt bow. “Of course, Bo-Katan. I look forward to it.” He bowed to Ursa. “Ursa, pleasure meeting you.” With that, he turned and headed toward the shuttle, as well.

Obi-Wan said his goodbyes, reminded Bo of dinner plans for later in the week, and made his own way to the shuttle. The base was quiet at this time of night, though still active enough that he was greeted and saluted as he went. He could never quite tell if this was some sort of game among Death Watch, egged on by Bo, to make him as uncomfortable as possible about his title, or if they really, truly meant it. 

As he entered the shuttle, he heard angry, low voices from the cockpit. Neither man seemed to hear him, and he paused, just out of sight of the doorway.

“I need to know, if you’ll be coming here regularly, that your judgment will not be clouded by your feelings, Rau,” he heard Tol’ket not quite whisper. 

“Whatever you think you are referring to is none of your business, Tol’ket,” Rau growled back. “But, yes, I am perfectly capable of doing my job. Just as I have always been.”

“It  _ is  _ my business because she is a Kryze and I am her Protector, as are you. I need to know you can do your job and be respectful of her wishes.”

“I was her Protector long before you,  _ sir.  _ I know how to do my job just fine-”

Obi-Wan decided then to interrupt, lest whatever  _ this  _ was got any more heated. “Alright, gentlemen,” he said jovially, stepping into the cockpit, pretending as if he hadn’t just heard their argument. “Shall we?”

* * *

  
  


Much later in the evening, as Obi-Wan lay in bed with Satine, his fingers gently brushing up and down the smooth skin of her bare back, still a bit heated from their recent activities, he told her about Death Watch and the spectacular piloting he had witnessed. And then offhandedly mentioned the strange conversation he heard between Tol’ket and Rau.

Satine, tracing circles with her fingers on his chest, laughed lightly. “You know, I did wonder how Rau showing back up in Bo’s life would go.”

Obi-Wan glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know, would you? Rau and Bo were...hmm...teenage sweethearts. They thought themselves quite madly in love at one point.”

“Oh. Oh my,” Obi-Wan stammered, the implications of Tol’ket’s firm admonishment of Rau now becoming clear.

“He was quite taken with her. I do believe his heart broke when he was reassigned to me. Still, though, Tol’ket shouldn’t worry. Rau did his job exceptionally well protecting me, even with a broken heart. It wasn’t until we thought Bo to be dead that he really couldn’t cope.”

“Well then, this certainly explains all of the tension I was feeling between them,” Obi-Wan said with a humorless laugh.

“You don’t suppose they’ll rekindle their romance, do you?” Satine said, stretching her long frame, revealing a tantalizing amount of silken skin.

Obi-Wan hummed in reply, thinking about another Protector’s fond glances toward Bo-Katan. “No, no, my love. I don’t believe that is something we need to concern ourselves with.”

“Oh good,” Satine said, rolling over and stradling Obi-Wan. “Then perhaps we can concern ourselves with rekindling something  _ here,  _ then.”

He pulled her down and kissed her breathless. “That, my dear, can be arranged.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, we're all quite aware the Obi-Wan ships Bo'ket, right? Even if I am still a completely neutral and unbiased party, right? 
> 
> So much good stuff is coming and I am so excited for it! Now I just have to stay on task and not write scenes for ten chapters ahead when I should be writing ones for now. Not to worry. It will all be so amazing and fun and possibly horrible, because it is Star Wars, after all. 
> 
> ALSO: if you are a US citizen of legal voting age and registered and have not done so yet, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD go vote tomorrow. If you're not registered, double check with your state....far more states than I realized have day of registration! Voting is not only a right, but a duty. Don't make Padme sad. Go vote.


	46. Peace Talks and Other Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mandalore plays host to a first round of peace talks for the Republic and the Separatists. But things go sideways when an uninvited guest shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, glitterkittens!!! I hope you all didn't think I forgot you. I didn't. My brain just short circuited for a few days due to election stress and I was running purely on survival mode. I'd eek out a couple of hundred words, and then need to self sooth with wine and the Boys. But, I've pulled myself together and finally got this chapter ready for you lovelies.

_ 20 BBY _

"I feel like I should be doing something," Ahsoka said as she sat back down across from Korkie at the dejarik board. "I'm technically here on duty." She handed Korkie his plate of  _ uj  _ cake, and tucked into hers eagerly. Ahsoka was a terrible dejarik player, and Korkie had made it his mission to change that during her short stay on Mandalore.

"Relax, Snips," Anakin said from his spot on the floor, his back pressed against Padme’s legs, where he was half watching a podrace on the holoscreen while mindlessly tinkering with the innards of his prosthetic arm. Lily leaned over him, watching him work. "Your official duty doesn't start until tomorrow when the talks start. For now you're just family."

Ahsoka looked to Padme for confirmation, who looked up from her reading, smiled and shrugged. "We're in a house with four Force wielding Mandalorians and dozens of Mandalorian Protectors. I strongly doubt we have much to worry about. Enjoy yourself, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka gave her a skeptical look before shoving another bite of cake into her mouth, leaning in to make a move in the game. She glanced up at Korkie for confirmation on her decision. He shook his head, smirking at her. “It just feels kinda... _ weird _ ,” she said around her mouthful of cake, sitting back to study the board again. She picked a different move. Her piece tore one of Korkie’s into two.

“Do you just not, you know, relax?” Korkie asked, making his next move, which got one of her pieces hammered into the board. She hissed and gave him a dirty look. 

He and Ahsoka communicated a good amount between the rare times they got to see each other, usually through written messages and very rare holocalls, but he was still learning what her life was like as a Jedi padawan in the middle of a war.

Ahsoka shrugged, taking another bite of cake. “I get downtime when we’re in hyperspace, though Master Plo likes me to use it meditating or practicing katas, when I’m not studying. But you all do that, too, right?”

“ _ Technically _ ? Yes,” Lily said, not looking up from her supervision of Anakin’s work on his arm. Korkie snorted a laugh. Lily  _ technically _ never meditated, unless she was achieving some meditative state while simultaneously beating the hell out of a Protector or Aunt Bo or sometimes himself. “But we also do this,” she gestured around the room. “Or hang out with friends- though, that’s harder these days.”

Ahoska made another move, which got her piece thrown off the board completely. She swore under her breath. Then sighed. “When I’m at the temple, which isn’t a lot these days, I hang out with friends. Barriss and I will sometimes go out if we’re there at the same time.” She took another bite of cake. “Then again, most of the time I’m at the temple, I’m studying or in a class or meditating or on creche duty…” she trailed off. She looked a bit lost, like she was wrapping her mind around how different their lives were.

“Don’t feel bad, Ahsoka,” Padme said. “When I was your age, I was a queen. My time as a kid was probably much more like yours than these three.” She gave Ahsoka a knowing smirk, which Ahsoka returned.

“It’s really not that bad,” Ahsoka said, pushing her empty plate to the side. "I get to see the galaxy and help people. Hard to complain too much."

“Except for, you know, being a child soldier,” Lily said, holding a loose wire for Anakin.

“Lily, kriffing hell,” Korkie groaned. Lily, who had never had much of a filter, seemed even more prone to saying  _ exactly _ what she thought lately.

Lily finally looked up and leveled a very serious gaze on him and Ahsoka. “Is that not what she is?” She glanced back at Padme, who looked pained. Anakin, without looking up from his work, nodded his head, ever so slightly, in agreement. “Ahoska goes out onto battlefields, leading men into battle, and fights in a literal war, and has been since she was barely older than me.” She plugged the loose wire into where Anakin pointed. “Eat the kriffing cake and relax, Soka. I think you’ve earned every right.”

The room fell into a sort of stunned silence, save for the sounds of the podrace on the holoscreen. Until those sounds were drowned out by shouting coming from the next room. 

“Bo-Katan, if I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times, it is  _ not  _ happening. Not like this,” Satine shouted.

“And I have told you as many times that you are setting us up for disaster. Their forces are  _ growing, _ Satine,” Bo shouted back over her shoulder, now storming into the lounge. “We keep waiting, and  _ something  _ is going to happen.”

“But you can’t tell me what that  _ something  _ is. I’m not letting you act on a gut feeling and spotty reconnaissance, Bo-Katan.”

“You’re crazy, Satine. And foolish.”

“And we are  _ done  _ with this conversation.”

“Yep, we are.” Bo agreed with a snarl, making for the door, then stopped, as if she’d forgotten something. “Lily, you still coming with me?”

“Oh!” Lily jumped up, dropping the tools she was holding for Anakin. “Yep! Let’s go.” She scrambled over top of Anakin, causing him to yelp, bounded across the room, and slung her arm around Bo’s waist. Bo threw her arm across Lily’s shoulders and started to lead her out.

“Dinner is in two hours, you two!” Satine reminded them, voice already gentler than it had been a moment before.

Bo rolled her eyes and tugged Lily out the door. “We  _ know,  _ Satine.” The two left, disappearing into the depths of the palace.

Satine turned around, muttering under her breath in Mando’a, something that always made Korkie chuckle. She typically only did that when she was particularly heated about something, and, lately, it was almost always something to do with Bo-Katan. 

Satine looked up, as if suddenly remembering the room was not empty. “Oh, what a pleasant picture. So, nice to have all my kids under one roof for a change.” She passed behind Ahsoka, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “That includes you,” she said with a kind smile. She left then, heading toward her private study.

Anakin looked up from his work, and quirked an eyebrow at Korkie. “I thought you said they were getting along.”

“That  _ is  _ them getting along, Anakin,” Korkie said with a laugh. He'd been living through this new relationship for a few months now and was coming to understand that this was just how their mother and her sister operated.

“They were  _ shouting.”  _

“They only have two settings- best friends forever, or shouting. There is literally no in between with them.” Korkie said with a shrug, playing his next move. 

Anakin shook his head, snapping the little access hatch shut on his prosthetic. “That is so….”

“Mandalorian. The word you’re looking for is Mandalorian,” Padme said, ruffling Anakin’s hair.

Everyone laughed. “Precisely,” Anakin said.

* * *

The following day, Korkie found himself fighting back his boredom as if he were fighting off a battalion of battle droids. He had no right to be bored. He had all but  _ begged  _ for the privilege to observe the peace talks. But, he realized, as they dragged on into their fifth hour with only one small break for caf, tea, and  _ uj  _ cake (which Ahsoka had eaten an alarming amount of. The girl, he now knew,  _ loved uj  _ cake), that peace talks were about ninety eight percent mindlessly, hopelessly boring. The other two percent left you wondering if an actual battle would break out in the throne room where they sat.

From his perch off to the side, he entertained himself by studying each person in the room. Most seemed about as bored as he felt. A few were doodling aimlessly on their datapads. One delegate from the Confederacy of Independent Systems kept dozing off, only to wake when his chin would slip off his hand. Even his mother was bored. He could tell from the twitch in her left eye and the way she drummed her fingers against her knee. Of course, she was used to presiding over meetings within the Mandalorian government, which meant most such meetings contained a fair amount of shouting, angrily waved fists, occasional colorful swearing in Mando’a, and, every so often, Protectors’ hands sliding to their hips where their weapons sat, wondering if they would soon need to jump in and protect. Of course  _ this  _ would be boring.

Ahsoka stood behind Padme’s left shoulder. She was, technically, Padme’s bodyguard, as she often acted. Korkie was impressed at Ahsoka’s ability to just  _ stand  _ there. He would have thought she was meditating if not for the fact that he could clearly see she was actively listening to the proceedings, clearly interested in what was said. She had told him about her trip to Raxxus with Padme; how eye opening it had been for her. He willed himself to pay closer attention, try to gain some of the same insight she had months before. 

It didn't last long. His boredom took over and he scanned the room again, saw his mother’s drumming fingers picking up speed and intensity, now on the armrest of her throne. He caught her eye, flashed his to her fingers with a subtle cock of his head. For a fraction of a second, embarrassment broke through her perfect mask of regal indifference, before she instantly bolstered it up. She straightened in her seat, folding her hands together in her lap to avoid her nervous habit. She nodded at him in thanks, the tiniest of smiles turning up her lips. He chuckled to himself. Even his mother had her limits.

The meeting continued on for a while longer, no one really saying anything that moved the point of the meeting forward. Korkie was just starting to hope that his mother would call a recess for lunch when the throne room doors were flung open, and a handsome young man came striding in, grabbed instantly by the two Protectors flanking the door. Tol’ket, standing behind Satine’s throne, stepped in front of her, hand on blaster. Aled, the new lead of Korkie’s personal detail, stepped in front of Korkie.

Ahsoka leaned over Padme, whispering something. Padme shook her head, sharing the same baffled look Ahsoka wore. Padme looked up at Satine, a pleading look on her face. Satine gave her a small nod.

“Stand down, Protectors. Let him be,” Satine commanded. The Protectors released him. “Speak your piece, young man.”

“I am Lux Bonteri, son of Mina Bonteri,” he said. “It has come to my attention that my mother was murdered by Count Dooku, in cold blood.” His voice rose in anger and grief, and Korkie was hit with a tidal wave of emotion in the Force, strong and roiling. Korkie moved around Aled to get a better view.

A Separatist delegate leapt to his feet, full of fury and indignation. “He  _ lies!  _ Take this traitor away.” 

In an instant, two Separatist sentry droids shoved the Protectors aside and grabbed Bonteri, hauling him back through the throne room. Korkie watched in horror, figuring the young man’s fate would not be a pleasant one.

The room was in an uproar, delegates on both sides on their feet. Tol’ket hovered near his mother, speaking into her ear, his blaster drawn. Tol’ket was  _ not  _ a fan of uproars. 

Padme and Ahsoka were talking animatedly across the throne room before Ahsoka bolted out herself. Korkie moved to follow, but Aled clamped a hand on his elbow. 

“Sir, we should stay here,” he said calmly.

“I’m just going to go make sure Ahsoka is alright, Aled. I’ll be fine.” He shook the hand off of his arm.

“Sir…”

“If you get in trouble with Tol’ket, I’ll take the fall, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” He smiled at Aled, trying to get him to relax. 

The young Protector scowled. “Don’t try any of your  _ jetii  _ foolishness with me,  _ sir.  _ I can’t just let you go running off, all half cocked and reckless.”

Korkie raised his eyes to the heavens. It was becoming clear why Tol’ket had promoted this Protector. “Alright, fine. If you’re so set on protecting me, protect me while I go check on my friend.”

Instead of waiting for Aled to protest, Korkie took off after Ahoska, weaving his way through delegates and their aides as his mother’s voice called over them, trying to bring them to order.

“ _ Haar’chak!”  _ he heard Aled mutter behind him. Glancing over his shoulder as he made it to the door, he saw the man was on his heels. He grinned to himself. That was probably also why Tol’ket had promoted him. 

They raced through the palace and outside, just as Ahsoka was jumping in a speeder.

“Ahsoka!”

She didn’t bother turning around, just backed the speeder out of its spot and stopped in front of Korkie, revving the engine. “I’ve gotta go after him, Kork. They’ll kill him.”

“Then I’ll go with you. You need someone covering your  _ shebs _ .” 

She considered him for the briefest of moments, then her eyes flicked over his shoulder, where Aled stood. “And him?”

Korkie glanced at Aled, who looked as if he was regretting every decision he had ever made in his life to this point. “This is Aled. He’s got _my_ _shebs._ He’ll be fine.”

Korkie didn’t wait for a response, and instead leapt into the speeder beside Ahsoka. Aled followed him, swearing colorfully in Mando’a.

“Is this the kid from Raxxus?” Korkie asked, as Ahsoka blasted the speeder forward, engine whining a complaint, into traffic toward the docks. 

“Yeah, it’s Lux alright. He’s a junior senator for Onderon now.” She made a pained face. “Or he is if he doesn’t get executed before I can get to him.”

“Is this really something you should be getting involved with, sir?” Aled asked, leaning between the front seats. 

Korkie shrugged, holding on to the side of the speeder as Ahsoka took a turn at an unholy speed. “I think preventing an execution without trial on Mandalore soil by an outside government that is here as our guest is a perfectly acceptable thing to get involved with.”

Ahsoka, banking the speeder hard into a turn as they entered the docks, only grinned in response. Aled swore under his breath, but pulled out his blaster, checking its charges. 

It took them little time to find the Separatist delegation ship, guarded by four security droids. Korkie reached out in the Force, knocking over a stack of supply crates waiting to be loaded. The droids, predictable to the last, moved from their posts to investigate.

“ _ Jetii,”  _ Aled mumbled.

“ _ K’uur,  _ Aled,” Korkie scolded. “Get used to it.”

The trio slid silently up the ramp of the ship, and followed the sound of voices toward the cockpit.

“ _ Finish him,”  _ a tinny yet deep, familiar voice could be heard through the blast doors, a moment before the sound of elctrostaffs igniting.

Ahsoka slammed her fist into the door’s control panel to find Lux Bonteri on his knees, head bowed, two sentry droids standing above him, ready to strike. Before anyone else could react, two blaster bolts fired, taking each droid down with deadly precision.

Korkie and Ahsoka turned to gaup at Aled, his blaster out, muzzle still hot from the shots.

“Stars, Aled,” Korkie croaked.

The young man shrugged, a bit sheepish, and holstered his blaster. “I saw droids. I shot droids.”

“I know clones who aren’t even that quick on the draw,” Ahsoka said, moving to free Bonteri. “Remind me never to get on Aled’s bad side.” She helped Bonteri to his feet. “Are you alright?”

He gave Ahsoka a mirthless smile. “I’m certainly better than I was a minute ago.” He looked over her shoulder at Korkie and Aled. “Who are your friends?”

She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the cockpit, toward the ramp. “Introductions can wait. We’ve got to get you out of here.”

They had company on the landing platform, as the original security droids had returned to their post. And more had joined them.

“The prisoner is escaping!” one droid yelled in their odd, nasal way, aiming its blaster at them as they exited the ramp. The other droids followed suit. Korkie pulled his lightsaber, ignited it.

“Run!”

Ahsoka, still pulling Bonteri along behind her, blasted the closest droids to her with a wave of energy through the Force, and took off at a full sprint. Korkie followed close behind, providing cover by deflecting blaster bolts. Somehow, Aled was able to bring up the rear and take down droid after droid, with expert marksmanship. 

After a few dozen meters, Aled stopped, turning to face the advancing droids.

“Aled, come on!” Korkie shouted.

Aled picked two droids off before replying. “Help your friends. Get the Onderon kid safe. I’ll cover you.”

Korkie hesitated, lightsaber humming in his hand, bringing it up almost casually as a bolt came directly for his face. He looked back toward Ahsoka and Bonteri. Then at Aled.

“Go, Korkie! This is my job!” Three more droids fell easily.

“Alright. I owe you.”

“You’re karking right you do,” Aled said, ducking as a bolt whizzed past his ear. “Go!”

With one last glance, Korkie took off running after Ahsoka and Bonteri. He caught up to them as she dragged Bonteri up the ramp of the Republic delegation ship. 

“We’ve got to get you out of here, Lux,” Ahsoka was saying as he followed them up the ramp. She pushed Bonteri into a seat in the cockpit, while Korkie took the copilot’s seat. Within a matter of seconds, the ship was lifting off into the air, rocketing toward the edge of Mandalore’s atmosphere.

“Where are we taking him?” Korkie asked, shoving aside the sudden realization that he had just ditched his Protector and fled his planet with a Jedi padawan and a wanted Separatist traitor.

Ahsoka looked at Bonteri, who had been very quiet since they’d taken off. The dark edge of space was approaching rapidly. “We’ll go back to Coruscant. You can plead for amnesty there, Lux.”

“I don’t need amnesty, Ahsoka. I have associates ready to help me. We’re going to bring down Dooku.” 

Korkie snorted a laugh as he made an adjustment to their trajectory out of atmosphere. “I’d beg to differ, friend.”

“Oh yeah? Who the hell are you, anyway?”

The ship broke through the atmosphere and the vast star field spread before them. Far off to the left, Korkie could see Concordia. He briefly considered hijacking the ship and landing it at Bo’s base. Let her deal with this mess.

“Right. Introductions,” Ahsoka said, looking up from the nav computer. “Lux Bonteri, meet Korkie Kryze-Kenobi of Mandalore. Korkie, Lux.”

Korkie swiveled in his seat, offering his hand. “Nice to meet you, Lux. Ahsoka speaks highly of you. Sorry to be meet-”

A powerful  _ zap  _ raced through Korkie’s muscles. The last thing he thought, as his vision went dark, was  _ so much for Jedi reflexes. _

* * *

  
  


Korkie woke with a start.

He was still sitting in the copilot’s seat on whatever Republic ship he’d followed Ahsoka and the Bonteri kid onto, but, now, instead of the vast blackness of space filling the viewport, it was the bright winter sun of some snow covered planet.

He groaned, his muscles sore from whatever jolt he had been hit with. “ _ Me’ven?” _

A moan from behind him made him start, then turn. Ahsoka was rubbing her forehead. “What the hell?” She looked up, eyes first landing on Korkie, then sliding out to the landscape beyond the viewport. “Where are we? Where’s Lux?”

Korkie shrugged as he stood, stretching out his achy muscles. “I don’t know. I woke up a few seconds before you did.” His hands went to his hips. “ _ Manda’ner.  _ He took my lightsaber  _ and  _ my blaster.”

Ahsoka stood quickly, swaying a little until Korkie grabbed her arm to steady her. She looked down. Both of her lightsabers were gone. “What the kriff, Lux?”

Ahsoka led Korkie back through the ship in search of Bonteri, pausing only to raid an emergency supply closet, pulling out warm coats for each of them, and a hat for Korkie. They found Lux a few meters from the ship, bundled up against the cold himself, staring up at the sky.

“Where’d you bring us, Bonteri?” Korkie asked, giving the young man a shove.

He turned to face them, eyes almost sad. “I wish you had stayed on the ship.”

“Where are we, Lux?” Ahsoka asked, tone softer than Korkie’s had been, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

“Carlac. I’m meeting my associates here.”

Korkie’s heart rocked to a halt in his chest. Bile rose in his throat. “Shit.”

“Carlac?” Ahsoka pinched her brows together, looking questioningly at Korkie. “Why does that sound familiar?”

Korkie looked up at the sky, rapidly turning grey as a storm approached. Over the wind, he thought he could pick up the telltale drone of jetpacks. “It sounds familiar, Soka, because it’s where the Death Watch defectors have holed up.” Ahsoka’s face twisted in distaste. “Your friend has brought us to the hive of a bunch of vindictive, angry Mandalorian traitors. Oh, and don’t forget their Sith Lord friend.”

As if on cue, half a dozen of said traitors landed lightly around them, blasters drawn. Several more pulled up on speeder bikes.

“Good job, Bonteri. Nice bunch of friends you have here,” Korkie growled under his breath, raising his hands. 

Ahsoka followed Korkie’s lead and raised her hands. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DAMNIT, LUX.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> Uj cake: some sort of sweet, sticky cake. It kinda sounds like fruit cake, but, I for one hate fruit cake. We're going to pretend it's more like carrot cake. (And I am totally head canoning that Ahsoka discovers it, thanks to her Mandalorian bffs, and will cut a bitch that gets between her and her uj cake. Our girl has a sweet tooth).  
> K'uur: Hush.  
> Me'ven?: Huh? What?
> 
> Love you all!! Your comments are precious gems to me and I love each and every one.


	47. It's Time to Be Mand'alor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Korkie and friends work out how best to deal with their hosts, the palace on Mandalore is left scrambling to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greeting, earthlings!
> 
> This is a fun arc to mold into this AU. The next chapter will be even more fun!
> 
> You're my favorites. Lots of super interesting comments on the last chapter! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one.

_ 20 BBY _

__ Food, as it often did, was calming everyone down.

Satine sat at the head of the dining table, having finally settled the two delegations after Lux Bonteri’s rather tumultuous entrance and accusation. She pushed her food around on her plate, her appetite lost. She would not admit it at this table with these guests, but she certainly would not be surprised if the young Bonteri had been absolutely right about Count Dooku killing his mother.

She listened idly to the conversations swirling around her, nodding and responding when appropriate, but her mind was elsewhere. She hadn’t seen Ahsoka since the girl had run out after Bonteri and the droids that hauled him away. While she hadn’t spent much time in the girl’s presence, she didn’t need any  _ jetii  _ magic to know Ahsoka had the same knack for finding trouble as her children. Or their father, for that matter. She wasn’t sure if it had something to do with their connection to the Force, or if they were just simply kindred spirits. Either way, she was starting to fret at the girl’s absence.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Ahsoka’s kindred spirit, Korkie, either.

She tipped back her glass of wine in one giant gulp at that thought. Padme, seated to her right, shot her a surprised look, but she seemed to be the only one to catch the very undignified move. 

A small flurry of motion near the door of the state dining room caught Satine’s eye. Tol’ket, who she had finally convinced to stop hovering, was standing at the door, listening intently to his commlink, his face growing steadily more stoney. She watched him reply to whoever he was speaking to, and she didn’t need to actually hear him to know exactly the tone he was using it. 

His conversation must have concluded, because he looked up, locked his eyes on her, scrubbed a hand over his face, then walked quickly around the table. She watched his journey, and prepared herself. She knew him well enough to know when he was preparing  _ himself  _ for delivering news she wouldn’t like. 

Tol’ket stopped beside her, bending to speak in her ear. “Your grace, may I speak with you a moment? There’s been an... _ incident  _ at the docks.”

She leaned away from him a bit to look him in the eye. “Does this incident have something to do with my son and his padawan friend?” she asked quietly. Padme must have overheard, though, as she looked away from the conversation she had been in, eyebrows raised.

Tol’ket sighed, biting back a growl of frustration. “I’m afraid it does, your grace.”

Satine nodded once. “I see.” She placed her napkin on her plate, and made to stand, Tol’ket pulling her chair out for her. 

As she moved past Padme, Padme grabbed her wrist. “Is everything alright?”

Satine smiled and placed a comforting hand on Padme’s shoulder. “That’s yet to be determined. Stay here. I’ll call for you if you are needed.”

Padme nodded and gave her a stiff smile before returning to her conversation. Satine and Tol’ket made it to the corridor outside the dining room. The hall was empty, so she stopped and turned to him.

“Do I dare ask what they have gotten themselves into now, Tol’ket?” Satine asked, pressing a hand to her head and closing her eyes. She felt the telltale signs of a stress headache starting to itch under her scalp.

“Aled just reported that Padawan Tano and Korkie seem to have escorted the young Bonteri boy off planet,” Tol’ket said, voice thick and heavy with frustration. “They were attacked by droids. Aled held them off, which is good, but in the meantime, it seems the intrepid Korkie got bundled off to parts unknown with the little  _ jetii’ika  _ aboard the Republic delegation ship.”

Satine blinked at Tol’ket, unsure if her stunned silence was due to the fact that her child was loose and unaccounted for somewhere in the galaxy with a young girl as reckless as him, or if the silence was to keep her from shouting in frustration over her children’s absolute disregard for their own safety and her sanity.

“I’ve already contacted Bo. She is scrambling fighters to see if the ship is still in the system,” Tol’ket added, voice a bit calmer, clearly sensing her agitation.

“Fine, good, thank you, Tol’ket.” She sat heavily on a bench along a glass wall, a few meters from the dining room. “Is Aled alright?” The young Protector was a bit of a favorite of Satine’s, and she was now regretting suggesting him to Tol’ket for the promotion as lead of Korkie’s detail. Korkie needed,  _ all  _ of her children needed Protectors who would just tackle them into submission when they became difficult to protect. She was now convinced it was the only way to actually protect them. Aled didn’t deserve the abuse of dealing with her children.

“He took a hit to his thigh, but he’s a tough kid. He’ll be back soon from the docks and you can talk to him directly.”

She nodded, staring absently at the painting across from her for a moment before realizing it was Korkie’s  _ Resol'nare  _ portrait. He was such a boy when it was painted, she thought offhandedly. He'd grown up so much in the nearly five years since. 

She sighed and looked at Tol’ket. “I’m sorry my children refuse to make your life easier, my friend.”

He smiled at her, offering her a hand up. “My  _ ba’buir  _ told us many stories of protecting your grandfather and his family, your grace. I entered this position with a fair understanding as to what it means to be a Protector to the Kryze family.”

She chuckled. She had heard her own tales of her grandfather’s exploits. “Still, though, that whole  _ jetii  _ business has to lend a certain element of aggravation.”

He escorted her back to the door of the dining room. “It absolutely does, your grace,” he said with a laugh. “But your children are Kryze, with or without that wizard blood.” He opened the door for her. “Now, speaking of wizards, I am going to go speak to the Mand’alor about his wizard son and his wizard friend.”

She squeezed Tol’ket’s arm affectionately. “Thank you, Tol’ket. Keep me posted."

He gave her a curt nod, and, seeing that she was safely back in the room and the other Protectors were aware, he left in search of Obi-Wan.

With a prayer to the Force and their ancestors, Satine replaced her mask of kind indifference, and seated herself back at the head of the table, hoping this would end with a simple scolding of Korkie on his recklessness, and not how she feared it would end.

* * *

“You’re late, kid,” one of the Mandos growled at Bonteri. 

“I ran into a bit of trouble getting here. My apologies,” Bonteri replied. 

The Mando jutted the chin of his helmet toward Ahsoka and Korkie. “Who are these two?”

A shadow of panic passed across Bonteri’s face. Ahsoka must have caught it, because she cheerfully stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m his, uh, betrothed.”

The Mando, apparently the leader of the welcoming committee, tipped his head down skeptically. “Betrothed?”

Bonteri nodded, grinning nervously. “Yep. Betrothed.”

Korkie winced in embarrassment. This was already heading for disaster. 

The Mando gave Ahsoka a quick, appraising once over, looking at her a little too intently for Korkie’s taste, but, after leaving his gaze on her back side a few seconds too long, the Mando let her be. Korkie almost felt sorry for the guy- if he actually followed through with that look, Ahsoka would put him squarely in his place, even without her weapons.

“And what about this one?” the Mando said, stepping up to Korkie, crowding into his space. Korkie didn’t flinch, just held the man’s invisible gaze hidden behind his visor.

“He’s my brother,” Ahsoka said, her eyes flicking to Korkie, begging him to just play along. What choice did he have?

The Mando looked at her, then back at Korkie. And laughed. “Your  _ brother?  _ Come on, girl. You think I’m an idiot?”

Korkie scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I would think, seeing as your own culture has a strong tradition of adoption, a  _ fine  _ Mandalorian such as yourself would quickly get that she is my  _ adopted  _ sister.”

“What do you know of Mandalorian culture,  _ boy?”  _ the Mando growled. Korkie was sure, if the helmet hadn’t been there, the man would have spat.

Korkie shrugged, feigning casualness. “I like learning about interesting cultures.”

The Mando grumbled, glared at Korkie for another second, then turned. “Come on, before the snow starts.”

They were loaded onto the speeder bikes and whisked off away from the ship, deeper into the wilderness. The jetpack Mandos flew low, guns drawn, surrounding the small group of bikes. Bonteri’s friends weren’t the most warm or welcoming.

Within a few minutes, just as the promised snow began to fall, they arrived at a large encampment, large tents surrounding a group of ships. They were marched into the largest of tents, the warmth of heat lamps an almost overwhelming contrast to the rapidly dropping temperature outside.

A tall, imposing man wearing freshly painted and decorated armor- durasteel by the looks of it- stood from the table he’d been lounging at. His helmet was off to reveal a square, hard jaw, and crooked nose, and neat, blonde hair swept severely back from his face. He looked mean, almost savage, but held himself stiff and upright, as if trying to fake his way into some sort of regalness.

“ _ Wayii,  _ Tiber. Took you long enough,” the man said to the leader of their welcome party.

The other man pulled his helmet, and now Korkie saw the man was just barely that. He couldn’t have been much older than Korkie himself, and he bore a strong family resemblance to the older man.

“The kid was late,” Tiber said with a sulky, sullen tone.

“And who the hell are these two? Bonteri, you were supposed to come alone,” the older man said.

“He says it’s his betrothed and her brother,” Tiber explained.

The older man flicked a hard, cold look to the younger one, but said nothing. Instead he gave Ahsoka a quick look over before turning to Korkie. It was clear that he had thought he would just give him an equally dismissive look, but he did a double take instead. He looked harder, then grabbed Korkie roughly by the chin, pulling off his hat, turning his head back and forth.

“Well, fuck,” the man said, letting go of Korkie, tossing his hat back at him. “You’re a right  _ di’kut,  _ Tiber.”

“Why? What’d I do?”

“You seriously don’t recognize this kid?”

_ Oh shit,  _ Korkie thought. Ahsoka’s eyes flashed to him, struggling to remain calm. He gave her an imperceptible nod of his head, trying to tell her it will be  _ fine,  _ while also hoping he could convince himself of that.

“No..” Tiber muttered, looking at Korkie.

The older man grabbed Korkie by the collar of his coat and dragged him to Tiber. Pushing him down to his knees, he grabbed his hair and roughly pulled his head back for Tiber to get a good look. From the corner of his eye, Korkie saw Ahsoka twitch, as if ready to pounce. Bonteri grabbed her hand. 

“Are you really so out of touch you mean to tell me you don’t recognize the son of Satine Kryze and her bastard  _ jetii  _ husband?” 

_ Karking hell. _

Tiber looked down at him, crowding his space once again. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said with a cold laugh after looking closely. “Looks like you’ve got yourself some royal houseguests, Gar.”

The pieces fell into place then. This was Gar Saxon, the man that Bo-Katan and Tol’ket and even his father spoke of with such cold vehemence. This is the reason why his mother and his aunt often worked so hard at shouting the other one into agreement. 

But where was  _ Maul?  _ As he understood what little they were willing to share, Maul had escaped with the defectors a few months earlier, and supposedly had been spotted here  _ with  _ Saxon. His skin creeped at the thought of that menace lurking in the shadows, just out of sight.

“Is this some sort of trap or something, Bonteri?” 

Korkie was snapped out of his thoughts by Saxon’s voice. He looked over at Bonteri, who was looking as if he was struggling to regain whatever leverage he thought he had come to this planet with. 

“No, Saxon, no,” he said. “I hadn’t even met this guy until he and Ahsoka helped me get off of Mandalore.”

“Oh, fantastic. So, now Mandalore knows you were there?” Saxon scrubbed a hand over his face, and Korkie could feel his sudden spike of anxiety through the Force. He hid it well, his face staying hard and cold.

“How else was I going to get the holotracer on Dooku?” Bonteri asked, indignant.

“I don’t know, but bringing me a karking hitchhiker from the royal family of Mandalore would have been a good thing to avoid in the process.” Saxon looked over at Ahsoka. “And who is she, really? Not your betrothed, I take it.”

For a second, Korkie really thought Bonteri was going to try to hold up that lie, but his common sense prevailed. “She’s just a friend,” he said, looking down at the floor, scuffing his boots in the hard packed dirt.

“Just a friend….” Saxon shook his head and cast his eyes to the heavens. “May our ancestors preserve my sanity,” he muttered. Korkie chuckled at that.

Saxon rounded on Korkie, smacking him upside the head. “What are you laughing at, you kriffing  _ jetii  _ bastard spawn?”

Korkie grimaced at the hard sting of the smack, but glared up at Saxon. “First of all, that was harsh. Second, I’m laughing because of how much you sound like my mother, praying to our ancestors.”

Korkie expected some sort of nasty response to him poking the proverbial beast, but the hard left hook still caught him by surprise and sent him sprawling.

“Korkie!” Ahsoka shouted.

Korkie waved her off, climbing back to his knees. He spat blood at Saxon’s feet, then looked back up at the man. “The difference, Saxon, is our ancestors will actually answer my mother’s call, but they won’t hear yours, you fucking  _ dar’manda.” _

This time, he was ready. He felt the warning in the Force, ducked the hard, punishing blow, which sent Saxon stumbling as the power propelled him forward. Korkie leapt to his feet, kicked Saxon in the back of the knees to knock him down, sending him crashing to the ground, colliding with tables and chairs. He spun quickly as the Force warned him, blocking Tiber’s punch and countering it with a hard right hook into Tiber’s nose. Tiber staggered, but caught himself, and jabbed hard but inaccurate. The punch grazed the side of Korkie’s head and ear, causing his ear to ring.

But, to his surprise, Tiber flew forward, landing near Saxon. Ahsoka had kicked him soundly. “Thanks, Soka,” Korkie said with a nod.

“Do you have some sort of plan here?” she asked as they squared off, side by side, as the two men climbed to their feet.

He shrugged. “Not much more than beat the hell out of them and run.”

“Good plan,” she said, rolling her eyes.

They braced themselves, ready to take Saxon and Tiber on, but, instead, Saxon barked into a commlink on his gauntlet. Within a moment, the tent was swarmed with commandos, guns drawn and aimed right at Korkie and Ahsoka.

Korkie dabbed gingerly at his split lip before raising his hands. “Well, that was fun while it lasted.”

* * *

Obi-Wan sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin in thought. Tol’ket, after what seemed like hours of pacing, had finally listened to Obi-Wan and sat down across from him. He too, was deep in thought, only broken by occasional glowering at his datapad or commlink. 

Korkie, Ahsoka, and Lux Bonteri were not in the system. Bo-Katan had sent the entirety of the fleet out for a thorough sweep, and they were long gone.

She had then sent the ships further out. Hopping into the next systems, sweeping to see if they had done a short jump to regroup. Nothing. His son was gone, lost somewhere in an immense galaxy.

"Coruscant," Obi-Wan said suddenly.

Tol'ket grunted, looking up from his datapad. "Sorry?"

"Coruscant. They may go there, to try and get the Bonteri boy amnesty.” Obi-Wan nodded to himself. “Yes. I’ll contact the Jedi Council. They may have already heard from Ahsoka.”

Tol’ket looked pensive. “Sir, if Ahsoka reached out to the council, don’t you think Korkie would have reached out to us?”

Obi-Wan froze. “You’re right.”

“I don’t mean to be negative, Obi-Wan, but there’s a reason Korkie hasn’t tried to get a message home.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “What are you thinking?”

Tol’ket rubbed the back of his neck, then stood, moving to the counter where a carafe of caf was kept, mainly to fuel his caffeine addiction. “The galaxy is vast, which means the troubles are innumerable,” he said as he poured. He then poured hot water into a tea cup, selected a bag of tea, placing it next to the cup. “I think the most likely scenario is pirates.” He carried the cups back to the desk, setting the tea cup down in front of Obi-Wan before returning to the counter for milk and sugar. “They could have jumped a system over, like Bo suggested, and ended up in the path of pirates.” Obi-Wan nodded in thanks as he delivered the milk and sugar. Tol’ket sat back down, took a drink. 

“You really think that’s likely?” Obi-Wan asked as he fixed his tea to his liking. 

“More likely than your usually somewhat responsible child not getting a hold of us to let us know he’s safe.”

Obi-Wan sighed, trying to release his sense of foreboding into the Force. “You’re right again, old friend.” He picked his cup up and leaned back in his chair. “We need to prepare ourselves possibly for ransoms. Barring that, we may have to contact the Republic, see if they have the resources for search parties.”

Tol’ket wrinkled his nose. “I am sure I won’t be alone when I say that I prefer we rely on our own resources as long as possible.”

Obi-Wan grumbled a little. “I understand that. But we only have so many resources-”

He was cut off by a chime from his holoprojector. “Speaking of our own resources.”

They moved to the projector, activating it. An image of Bo-Katan blinked to life. She was breathing hard and looked wild and harried. “Thank fuck,” she said in greeting.

Tol’ket stifled a laugh. “What is it Bo-Katan?” Obi-Wan asked, ignoring her graceless greeting.

She took a deep breath, composing herself. “We had someone out doing a regular recon flight over Carlac. They just came home. They caught this image in their pass.” She flicked a few buttons and her image shifted to that of a long range orbital holo of Carlac, something Obi-Wan was getting far too acquainted with. 

“We got fucking lucky as hell, because a big storm was blowing up,” Bo’s voice filtered in over the image. “Had the pilot been a couple of minutes later, the cloud cover would have obstructed this.” The image enlarged and a spot was highlighted. 

“Is that what I think it is?” Tol’ket asked.

“It’s a Republic diplomatic cruiser,” Bo said, confirming Tol’ket’s thoughts.

“What the hell are they doing on Carlac?” he barked, turning to look at Obi-Wan.

The image flickered away and Bo-Katan’s returned. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. But it won’t end well.” She looked at Obi-Wan, eyes hard. “I’m not going to wait for Satine on this, Kenobi. It’s time to be Mand’alor. We need to go,  _ now.” _

Obi-Wan glanced between Bo and Tol’ket, both looking at him in a kind of bold, determined anticipation. He didn’t need to ask- Tol’ket was fully in support of whatever Bo was thinking.

He ran a hand through his hair, sighed. Whatever happened, it would not be good. It would be a dirty, bloody fight. Nothing at all what Satine wanted for her people.

But it was their  _ son. _

Somehow, his son was with those traitors. There were priorities here, and his son’s life far surpassed that of Satine’s idealism. Surely she could see that. 

“Fine. We will go.”

“ _ Ori’jate!”  _ Bo exclaimed.

“But I’m going with you.”

“No.” Her excitement instantly drained away. “Absolutely not.”

“I’m Mand’alor, Bo-Katan. And we are talking about my son. And with Maul there, you will need me. I will lead.”

She set her jaw hard and glared at him for a long moment. “What do you know about battle?”

“You forget that I was a Jedi, Bo. I know how to fight, even if I have spent the last seventeen years living as a pacifist.” He studied her closely. “You know them best, Bo-Katan. I will lead based on your thoughts and recommendations. But I  _ will  _ lead.”

She softened a bit at that and nodded.

“I’ll be coming, too, then,” Tol’ket said. 

“No-”

“Bo, I am the sworn Protector of the throne. It is my duty to stay at the Mand’alor’s side through battle. I’m coming.”

She closed her eyes and swore a colorful stream of profanity in a variety of languages. She then opened them and looked between them both. “ _ Fine.  _ But, so help me, you make this harder, I will leave you there.”

The threat was empty and harmless, but the sentiment was clear. “Understood,” Obi-Wan and Tol’ket said in unison.

“We’ll meet you in orbit. Be ready in an hour.” She smiled, returning to her earlier wild look. “Carlac awaits,  _ ner vode.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bo-Katan is coming, Saxon, you punk ass bitch.
> 
> Korkie does not have time for Lux. Pretty boy doesn't know how to handle himself, and it SHOWS. 
> 
> I also was not expecting Korkie to decide picking a fight with Saxon was the best way to handle things (I think he may have been inspired by Lily), but he's a Kryze-Kenobi and I only have the road map to this story...they often surprise me on how we'll arrive at our final destination! 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Ori'jate- Excellent! Very good!
> 
> I think we're about to see Bo get to be Bo.
> 
> Cheers, my friends! Hope you all are breathing a little easier this weekend.
> 
> PS- due to some system update, my docs are configuring differently on my computer, which means they are configuring differently here. I like it/prefer it, but they look strange at first!


	48. True Heart of the Mando'ade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gar Saxon may be in for far more than he bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing combat is HARD, though rewarding, and I really didn't think this would be ready until tomorrow morning. But, it turns out, I got it done and more or less edited and cleaned up way sooner than I thought while I was chipping away at it earlier today! So, a little evening treat for you all.
> 
> This could have been one 10,000 word chapter, or two semi long chapters. Figured you'd prefer two chapters, since 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing! Enjoy and thanks for all the great comments!

_ 20 BBY _

“So, we won’t be discussing this?” Satine asked, voice cold and level, her eyes locked on Obi-Wan’s.

She sat in her office, on the low sofa going over notes from the day’s talks. Or, she had been until Obi-Wan came to tell her he would be leading Death Watch’s strike on Carlac to rescue Korkie.

Obi-Wan kept his eyes on Satine’s. “We are talking about our son, Satine,” Obi-Wan said quietly, still rooted in his spot.

Satine looked away, pursing her lips into a thin, hard line. “There has to be another way, Obi-Wan.”

“There isn’t, Satine, and you  _ know  _ it.” She did, didn’t she? How could she not understand the risk of leaving this group alone to fester and grow, find allies, and move on them? And now they had their son.

She turned her eyes back to his, and he could see the tears rimming them, making them glassy. Satine rarely cried, and, for a moment, Obi-Wan felt his heart may break. “I didn’t want this for Mandalore,” she said softly.

Obi-Wan finally moved, sitting next to her on the sofa, and took her hands in his. “What you don’t want for Mandalore, Satine, is war to return to its soil. You want Mandalore, both its heart and its land, to heal.” He paused, letting her ruminate on that. She sniffed softly, closing her eyes, then, finally, gave a small nod. A tear slipped out under her lashes, and he wiped it away gently with his thumb.

“If we stop Saxon and Maul now, we will never have to worry about war coming to Mandalore. I can prevent it, Satine. Let me stop it  _ now,  _ on Carlac.”

She said nothing, only looked down at their joined hands, tears splashing on them. His chrono beeped at him, reminding him how little time he had before heading to the shuttle that would take him and Tol’ket to meet the  _ Gauntlet  _ in orbit. 

“I don't have much time," he said gently. "But, Satine, we’re doing this with or without your blessing.” 

She pulled her hands away from his, stood and walked to her window. Her jogan fruit tree could be seen in the garden beyond. “Bring Korkie back,” she said cooly, not turning to look back at him.

It wasn’t much of a blessing, but he would take it. He stood and moved to her, turning her to face him. She stiffened at his touch, though didn’t pull away. He sighed. “We will, my love.” He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, just beneath the simple coronet she wore. “I love you, Satine,” he said quietly as he pulled away. She only nodded, pulling away from him to turn back to the window. He sighed again, his heart aching in his chest. With one last look at her, he turned and walked out.

As the door slid shut behind him, Obi-Wan closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath, centering himself in the Force. That was not the ideal way to leave things with his wife, but there wasn’t enough time to mend things with her right now. It would have to wait. For now, it was time for him to be Mand’alor.

Within thirty minutes, Obi-Wan stood in a command center of sorts on the  _ Gauntlet,  _ standing beside a holotable, an illuminated projection of Saxon's encampment glowing in the middle, surrounded by topographical features of the Carlac wilderness. Bo-Katan stood to his right, Tol'ket to his left, and a crush of commandos and pilots at his back and pushing around the table from all sides, jockeying for a good view. The Force swirled with anticipation and an odd sort of merriment as the gathered forces jostled and chatted, shouting over one another to be heard. Obi-Wan, despite having lived on Mandalore for over seventeen years, had the odd sensation that he may be witnessing the true heart and soul of the Mando’ade for the first time.

Bo-Katan leaned over, catching Ursa’s eye, and gave her a nod. Ursa had been standing on the far side of Tol’ket, the two speaking animatedly, and she used his much larger frame to hoist herself up onto the lip of the holo table.

“ _ Ne’johaa, di’kutla besome!”  _ she shouted, clapping her hands three times to bring order to the troops. The din died down nearly instantly. “ _ Jate.  _ Your Mand’alor wishes to speak,” Ursa said, nodding to Obi-Wan from her perch. He nodded back, though he had little to say. 

Ursa hopped down lightly next to Tol’ket. “Crude but effective,” he muttered to her as she turned her attention to Obi-Wan.

She shrugged, smirking a little. “They like it when I’m mean.” Tol’ket snorted a laugh, then quickly turned his attention to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan looked around the room and suddenly became distinctly aware of the weight of the darksaber hanging from his left hip. Though he had every intention of turning this operation over to Bo-Katan, for a myriad of reasons, these were still  _ his  _ troops awaiting  _ his  _ command. It was frightening and exhilarating.

He took a deep centering breath, then spoke. “I haven’t much to say today. Bo-Katan will be leading this operation and has my full support. Whatever Bo-Katan says, consider it orders directly from me. She knows the lay of the land on Carlac, and, even more importantly, she knows all of you. She will be briefing us on our strike momentarily.

“That being said, I would like to add that I have complete faith in all of you. I’ve gotten to know you, seen you all train over the last several months, and I have been made very well aware just how strong and effective you can be. Today will be a  _ good  _ day. I am honored you claim me as your Mand’alor, and I know you will fight well and with valor.  _ K’oyaci!” _

_ “Oya, Mand’alor!”  _ the crowded shouted in return, raising fists and rifles in the air in enthusiasm. 

“ _ K’uur!”  _ Bo shouted as the noise level began to rise again. Silence fell immediately, all eyes turning to her.

“I’m only saying this once, so pay attention.”

As the  _ Gauntlet  _ sped through hyperspace, rapt attention was given to Bo as she detailed every element of their attack. It was cunning, and brilliant, and likely to be very, very deadly, and, as Obi-Wan listened, he was reminded just how lethal this force of his was. It thrilled him in a dangerous way. He stamped that feeling down, centering himself in some sort of tranquility and peace, and prepared himself for true battle.

* * *

Korkie’s arms ached from being bound to the center pole of the tent. His face had certainly felt better, too, and his ears still rang faintly. It had been hours since his rather rash decision to antagonize Saxon, and the man seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with Korkie. He’d sent Ahsoka to “help the other women,” and Bonteri seemed to have not upset his host enough, yet, to warrant restraints, though he was far from free to roam about as he pleased.

The one bright spot in this ridiculous day of bad decisions was that Saxon seemed to want to keep his eye on Korkie, and had kept him in the tent with him as he and Bonteri talked. So, Korkie now understood why Bonteri had come to these particularly brutal murderers for help- they all had some bone to pick with Count Dooku, and Bonteri assumed Saxon would help him bring the Count down.

“You’re a particular brand of naïve, Bonteri,” Korkie said as Saxon and his guards stepped out of the tent. He crab walked his way around the pole to face the young man better. “I don’t think you quite understand what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“What would you know, Kryze?” Bonteri grumbled, taking a swig from a tankard someone had handed him.

“Technically, it’s Kryze-Kenobi, but let’s not split hairs,” Korkie said with a smirk. “And I  _ know  _ these people. They’ve only been trying to kill my siblings and me for years, delegitimize my mother’s reign practically since it began, typical terrorist  _ osik. _ ” He snorted a laugh. “And these guys are just the dregs. They’re the leftovers after the worst of them got wiped out. Hell, the only reason that Saxon bastard is free now is because a Sith Lord broke him out. If it hadn't been for him, Saxon would be rotting away in a cell on Concordia.”

Bonteri turned away, hunching over his drink. “I don’t care. They say they can help me kill Dooku, that’s all that matters.”

Korkied scoffed. “What they’ll probably do is take your holo tracer and shoot you in the face.”

Bonteri started to open his mouth to respond, just as Ahsoka tiptoed in, looking cautiously over her shoulder before letting the tent flap fall shut behind her. Her eyes flicked to Bonteri, who she gave a contemptuous look, then they landed on Korkie. She hurried to him, kneeling next to him.

"Are you ok?" she asked, pulling a small but lethal looking knife out of her pocket.

Korkie shrugged. "Their hospitality is sorely lacking, but otherwise I'm fine."

She chuckled, giving him a crooked smirk, then surreptitiously pressed the knife carefully into his bound hands. He looked up at her questioningly. “For later.” He nodded, trusting her unspoken thoughts. 

She reached back into her pocket and pulled out a small jar. "Here, one of the village women gave me this for your face." She opened the little jar and swiped up some sort of potent smelling ointment with her fingers. As she moved to dab it on his split lip, he recoiled at the smell.

"Stars, Soka, it smells like bantha shit! What's in it?"

His head trapped against the tent pole, she moved in and swiped some across his lip. He hissed in pain at the sting, earning him a disdainful look as she moved to dab some on his temple and cheek, where Tiber's gauntlet had left a sizable graze. "You're a Mandalorian, act like it," she said as he tried to flinch away. "I don't know what's in it, but they swear by it."

Satisfied with her work, she replaced the jar lid and sat back on her heels. "They're slaves, you know, those women." Her gaze turned toward Bonteri. "You're in league with slavers now, Lux."

Bonteri stood suddenly, closing the distance between him and Korkie and Ahsoka. "But they can help me kill Dooku, Ahsoka," he pleaded as he crouched down next to them. "They can help me avenge my mother's death, and maybe even end this damned war. Don't you see?"

"When we get out of this, Soka, we're having a talk about the friends you keep," Korkie said, squirming to get comfortable against his bindings, fiddling with the knife so he could work it against them. 

Korkie turned his gaze to Bonteri. “Like I said, at best, you’re naïve. Do you know why they’ve got a grudge against Dooku?” He arched an eyebrow at the young man, who just stared back at him, sullen. “Because they couldn’t do the job that he needed them to do, so he’s ditched them because they’re  _ incompetent.”  _ A small lie. From what Korkie understood, it wasn’t so much that they were incompetent, but that Bo-Katan shot Pre Vizsla in the head, aiding his father in becoming the leader of Death Watch. Then Tol’ket shot Almec in the chest, thwarting the man's attempts to right things with Dooku. They had been incompetent, from a certain point of view.  _ “ _ Now you think they’ll be able to kill  _ him?” _

Ahsoka nodded along in agreement. “He’s right, Lux. Our best bet is to get us all out of here and take you to the Republic. Not deal with this through back channels and criminals.”

“I am  _ not  _ going to the Republic,” he growled.

“Alright, so Ahsoka and I will leave you here with these incompetent, traitorous, murdering terrorists. Fine,” Korkie said, voice almost sing song, as he lay his head back against the tent pole. 

A stiff, cold breeze blew in a swirl of snow as Gar Saxon entered, trailed after by Tiber and several other commandos. Bonteri scurried away, moving quickly back to his seat at the table. 

“That’s no way to talk about your hosts,” Saxon said coldly. “I would have thought your mother with all her fanciful airs would have taught you to be a better guest.” 

He then roughly grabbed Ahsoka by the back of her coat, hauling her to her feet. “And you’re supposed to be with the women.” He shook her roughly, and Ahsoka let out a little whimper. She caught Korkie’s eye, though, and gave him a wink. She was playing Saxon. Saxon threw her to another Mando, who dragged her from the tent, back out into the snow.

Saxon poured himself a tankard of whatever swill they were drinking, and sat down across from Bonteri. 

“Your intel checks out, kid. Once we decide what to do with the  _ jetii  _ bastard, we’ll make our move,” he said before taking a long pull from his drink.

“ _ What?  _ We only have a short amount of time to act! _ ”  _ Bonteri shouted, standing up abruptly, which caused half a dozen blasters to be leveled at him. Korkie shook his head but used the distraction to work a little harder on his bindings. It was slow going and making his wrists ache, but it  _ was  _ working. He could feel the rope fraying under his fingertips.

“Sit down,” Saxon commanded. Bonteri complied. “You brought this on us. You’re the one who kidnapped Mandalorian royalty and brought him here.” Saxon turned his cold gaze to Korkie, who stilled and assumed a perfect mask of indifference. “That being said, it  _ may  _ work in our favor. Dooku has a thing for these kids. He might be a good lure.”

Bonteri turned to look at Korkie, jaw set tight, the implication of what he was getting into truly settling into his thick skull. 

In that moment, Korkie felt the bindings snap as Ahsoka and the meek little local women came in, carrying trays of food and drink. A bit of a celebratory rumble broke out as Mandos sat down around the tables and began to dig into the platters of food. More filtered in from the cold, making their way to the tables as well, brushing snow from their armor. 

Korkie caught Ahsoka’s eye and gave her a tiny nod. She smiled knowingly. He kept his hands in place, but twisted the knife around to a better grip, thanking any ancestor listening for all those hours and hours of what seemed like useless combat training. Tol’ket and his Protectors had taught Korkie and his siblings to be deadly with just about anything, despite their pacifist ways. A small knife was no lightsaber, but it could still prove very useful.

Ahsoka slammed a bowl of stew in front of Bonteri. “Hungry?” she growled. “Hope you don’t choke on your own stupidity.” Korkie snorted at Bonteri’s look of betrayal, but kept his eyes focused on Ahsoka, waiting for her signal. The Force felt like it was bunching around him, getting ready to spring loose, hard and fast.

She served the rest of the bowls on her tray before Korkie noticed her change her grip on it, her muscles coiling ever so slightly under her warm coat. He tightened his grip on the knife, pulling his legs closer, in a better position to spring up.

With Force driven speed, Ahsoka spun and hurled the tray across the room. “Korkie, now!” The tray beamed a Mando hard in his unprotected head, just above the temple, and clattered noisily to the table top, the man toppling over with a wail of shock and pain. Korkie sprang up and forward, slashing the knife across the nearest Mando’s exposed face. Buckling in shock, Korkie took advantage and kicked him hard in the solar plexus. The force of it sent the man falling backwards, still clutching his slashed face, and knocking over two others as he went. Someone came from behind to grab Korkie, but he flung his knife hand back, hard, catching the Mando in the face. The grip on him loosened and Korkie spun, bringing a hard left hook with it. The man staggered back, blood pouring from the brutal slash of the knife and from his broken nose.

Behind him, Korkie could see Ahsoka on a table, a whirlwind of kicks and punches. Three moved to pull their blasters, and she sent them flying backwards with a blast of power through the Force. A blaster skittered out of one’s hand towards Korkie’s feet and he called it to him. A blaster was better than a knife. He grinned as the cold metal grip smacked into his palm. This was getting fun.

* * *

Bo stood alone in the command center, staring at the holotable. They were minutes away from exiting hyperspace. Like everyone else, she should be making her way to her drop ship. But she found herself needing a moment alone. Her nerves were jangling and she could all but feel her blood pumping under the skin at her pulse points. This was more than just standard pre-battle adrenaline. 

She had led operations before, but they had always been small strike teams, mostly. Quick and dirty hits, meant to disrupt and inconvenience. This was the first true battle she had ever led. And it was against men and women that had trained alongside her for years. They knew her moves, and she knew theirs. This could go very well, or very poorly.

Footsteps came from behind, followed by a gentle hand on the small of her back. She surprised herself that she didn’t jerk away at the touch, but she didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“It’s a good plan, Bo. Don’t second guess yourself now,” Tol’ket said, his voice soft, coming from close to her ear, as if trying to keep the insecurity he so easily read in her body language a secret from any stray Death Watch that may be close.

She turned toward him and met his gaze. “You’re good at this,” he said, voice still soft. “Don’t doubt yourself.” 

He was so close. “If you say so,” she said, shrugging, trying to force some humor into her voice.

“I do say so,” he said, giving her a faint, crooked smile. Part of her wanted to step back, widen the space between them. Part of her wanted to close it in one swift, decisive step. She did neither.

“Be careful out there, alright?” she said. “You are my preferred  _ tihaar  _ drinking buddy.”

He grunted a little laugh, and she felt more than saw him inclining his head closer to hers. “Funnily enough, I was going to say the same damn thing about you,” he said, his smile ticking up as the small space between them grew smaller.

If her pulse was racing before, it was breaking the sound barrier now. A smile broke out on her own lips, matching his, and her eyes slipped shut in anticipation.

“Exiting hyperspace in ninety seconds!” the  _ Gauntlet’s  _ pilot blared through the in-ship comm system. Bo and Tol’ket leapt apart, as if a bolt of lightning had seared the air between them.

They stared at each other for a moment, then Tol’ket smirked. “Right then. Places to be, traitors to shoot.”

Bo cleared her throat and took a deep breath, smirking back at him. “Precisely.”

She went to move past him toward the hangar, but he caught her by the wrist. Even with his gloved hand, the feel of his contact against her blazing nerves made his grip feel like a branding iron. She looked up at him.

“I’m serious, Bo. It  _ is  _ good. Trust your own judgement... _ ner vod.”  _ She nodded, swallowing the sudden lump that had materialized in her throat. He dropped her wrist and, with one last lingering glance they turned and made their way quickly to the hangar. 

* * *

Night had fallen on Carlac, but at least the worst of the storm had stopped. The cloud cover was thick and dense, though, and blocked out what any light that may filter down from the sky above. It worked in Death Watch’s favor more than hindered it, though it still made for slow going. 

Bo waited on a low ridge, watching through her helmet’s night vision HUD intently as the first wave moved into position, and held. And held. And continued to hold.

“Crow leader, what’s going on? What are you waiting for?” Bo barked into her helmet’s multi unit commlink.

Ursa, leading the first wave, came back, sounding exasperated and antsy. “Our Protector and our Mand’alor stopped at the Republic ship,” she whispered, too close to the edge of the camp to do more than that safely. “Mand’alor had a  _ feeling.” _

Bo let out a long string of expletives, then switched to her wrist commlink.

“ _ Please  _ tell me Kenobi’s  _ feeling  _ produced something useful.”

She heard a snort of laughter before Tol’ket answered her. “If the kids’ lightsabers count as useful, then yes.”

OK. Whatever  _ jetii  _ wizardry Obi-Wan had just pulled, getting Korkie and his Jedi friend their lightsabers  _ was  _ probably useful. She was certain they would be fighting their way out as well as in. Best to have all the weapons they could. “Yes, that counts. Are you close?”

“Getting into position now, boss,” Tol’ket said, and she could hear the smile on his face. 

She couldn’t help but smile a little back. “Good. Standby.”

She switched back to the multi unit comm in her helmet. “Crow leader, you’re good to go.”

“Yeah, hey, boss, there’s some commotion down here. Not sure what’s happening,” Ursa came back. Bo was now just hearing it, too. Blaster fire, deep in the camp, carried up to her on the stiff, cold breeze.

“I hear it. Stick to the plan, just stay extra alert. They’re already heated up about something. We're ready to provide back up if you need it.”

“Roger that.”

On that, Ursa gave the signal and Bo watched as Ursa's platoon of commandos crept silently out of the forest, rifles and blasters ready and primed. She spotted Obi-Wan and Tol’ket, a few meters to the left of Ursa. Obi-Wan had the darksaber in his hand, though unignited, Tol’ket kept close, ready to provide covering fire.

The group moved swiftly yet silently, and were a couple dozen meters in before Bo started seeing the sudden bursts of blaster fire. Just single bright bursts on her HUD as commandos were taken out one by one, using the cover of dark, the lackadaisical care taken in sentry duty she had witnessed, and the element of surprise to push far into the camp.

Ursa’s voice filled Bo’s helmet. “There’s something big going down in the biggest tent, boss. Lots of blaster fire. Villagers are running for cover.”

“Good. We can use it to our advantage. What’s your location?”

“Just coming up on their ships. About to set charges.”

Bo smiled. “Brilliant, Crow leader. I’ll be there soon.”

Destroying every vessel they could was vital to Bo. She did not want anyone getting away this time. In fact, she had wanted to blow the Republic ship, too, in her initial plans, but Obi-Wan hadn’t allowed it, not wanting to destroy Republic property. She would just have to make sure no one escaped into the wilderness in the direction of that ship. Simple enough. 

She had assumed that they would have had company a lot sooner, but whatever fight had broken out in the main tent- which she would bet her armor on was caused somehow by Korkie and his Jedi friend- had the rest of the traitorous commandos distracted. Still, though, when they were finally drawn out by the first explosion that should be going off any moment, they would come out hot, jumpy, and trigger happy. 

She opened all channels on her comm. “Stay alert, everyone. We’re going to have very unhappy and keyed up commandos on our hands in a few seconds.”

She heard several jetpacks near her priming, and she followed suit, priming her own. The seconds ticked away, then, suddenly, the night sky went bright as the first ship went up in a bloom of fire and smoke. 

“ _ Now!”  _ she shouted to her troops, and the ridge above the camp blazed to life with two dozen jetpack wearing Death Watch commandos.

The flight was short, only thirty seconds or so, but it was long enough for the rest of Saxon’s forces to have come out to play. Death Watch was now fully engaged in a firefight, and she saw the telltale light eating blackness of the darksaber zoom about as Obi-Wan, standing at the head of it all, flanked closely by Tol’ket and Ursa, blocked and redirected blaster bolt after blaster bolt. She took half a moment to enjoy the awe inspiring sight, then dropped into the fray, landing lightly beside Tol’ket.

“I was really hoping that this would be more like shooting womp rats,” he shouted over the noise, ducking a bolt just as Obi-Wan swung the darksaber’s blade in front of him, sending it off in another direction.

“Don’t forget, they’re Death Watch, too,” she shouted back as she caught sight of a familiar shock of auburn hair, just inside the tent. “Kenobi!” she shouted, taking out a commando at the same time. “I have eyes on Korkie.”

He looked where she was gesturing, nodded. “Tol’ket, with me,” he shouted. With a grin and a wink, Tol’ket followed Obi-Wan, skulking low, using the other Death Watch as cover. She watched their progress, Obi-Wan using the darksaber as both a defensive and offensive weapon while Tol’ket provided deadly accurate covering fire. 

Movement from near the tent entrance caught her eye. Saxon. She was sure. His helmet tracked Obi-Wan and Tol’ket’s progress for a long moment, then he moved, making his way to cut them off. 

No, no. That wasn’t going to do. 

She boosted off the ground with her jetpack, and, coming from behind Saxon, she hammered her feet into his back, kicking her jet's thrusters up high to give her an extra blast of power. The force of the blow sent him ass over end, rolling him down a path between tents, away from the main fray, away from Obi-Wan and Tol’ket, away from the kids caught in the tent.

He righted himself and looked to see who his attacker was. He recognized her as she touched down.

“Bo-Katan, you little  _ veriduur.” _

They both blasted them into the air simultaneously, and, jets open to full throttle, they hit with bone cracking force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles innocently*
> 
> Also, did Ursa Wren literally climb Tol'ket like a tree? Yes, she did. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for today:  
> "Ne’johaa, di’kutla besome!" - Shut up, you dumb louts! Ursa has a magical way with words.
> 
> Love you all!


	49. Tion'ad hukaat'kama?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Saxon's last stand, and he isn't going down without a nasty fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo boy! This was a doozy to write. I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> I probably should have done this for the last chapters, too, but CW for unsurprisingly Mandalorian typical violence. Nothing is gory. Just Mandalorians beating the hell out of Mandalorians, essentially. Also, one teeny tiny call back (it is the teeniest of tiny) to Bo's past trauma.

_ 20 BBY _

The tent was in pandemonium. Gar Saxon shouted orders that no one seemed to be following, blasters and rifles were drawn and firing, but Ahsoka and Korkie moved too fast and stayed too close to other commandos for anyone to get a clean shot. It was glorious chaos.

“Korkie!” Ahsoka shouted over the noise. He turned just in time to see her Force push a hulking beast of a Mando at him. He leapt onto the man’s chest before he even hit the ground and rapid fired left-right-left-right jabs into his head. It only took a moment before the man went limp. Korkie pulled one blaster from the unconscious man’s hand, and a second from a holster.

“Bonteri!” he called, and the young man, who had skittered to the side of the tent turned at the sound of his name. Korkie tossed him one of the blasters. "Do you know how to use it?"

Bonteri scowled at him. "Yes, I kriffing know how to use it." To prove his point, he fired off a couple of rounds. Not deadly accurate, but he hit who he aimed for. Maimed and down was better than up and armed. 

Korkie, weaved and ducked his way across the tent, making his way to Ahsoka, one downed commando at a time. Somewhere in the fray, she had gotten a hold of the broken strut of a heat lamp, and was wielding it as a staff. She swung it effortlessly and with immense power into necks, jaws, faces, and any other soft, squishy bits not covered by armor she could get to. It may not be deadly, but it was effective, and anyone who met the business end of her makeshift staff would definitely feel it for several days.

“Ahsoka, we need to get out!” he called to her as he got closer. He fired both his blasters, landing solid shots to the chests of two different commandos coming up behind Ahsoka, downing them instantly. Their armor would insulate them from real damage, but it would still slow them down.

She nodded and somersaulted off the table she had made her stand on, bringing the end of her staff down hard on the helmeted head of another commando. He stumbled back, dazed, so Korkie backed up Ahsoka’s blow with a clean shot to his knee, toppling him in his place.

They began making their way back across the tent to Lux, working together to bring down any commando in their way. Ahsoka used her makeshift staff to concuss or gouge, while Korkie punched, kicked, and shot his way through.

They were nearly to Lux when a rumbling boom shook the ground beneath their feet, and dazzling light blinded everyone for a moment. The chaos stilled, as everyone struggled to work out what had just happened. Korkie’s ears, still ringing a bit from earlier, blared like a wailing siren for a long moment, blocking out all other sound. Ahsoka was speaking to him but it took a moment for him to make it out.

“...blowing up ships!”

He shook his head, rubbed his ears. “What did you say?” he shouted, more so he could hear his own voice.

“I said someone is blowing up the ships!” she shouted back to him, grabbing his arm and dragging him quickly to Bonteri, taking advantage of the lull in the chaos. 

The noise in his head began to dull, just as someone from near the tent flap shouted. “Death Watch! Death Watch is here!”

In a mass exodus, commandos still standing flooded out the tent flap, and all hell broke loose outside. Gar Saxon made his way to the front of the tent, casually stepping over fallen commandos, and began shouting orders again, this time to more effect. 

The chaos that had reigned in the tent was now mostly outside, as Saxon’s forces went up against what sounded like the full might of Bo-Katan’s Death Watch. 

Saxon, taking shelter in the entrance of the tent, stopped firing for a moment, his helmet turning as he tracked something or someone on the move outside. After a moment, he stepped out into the fray and disappeared.

They were suddenly alone, save for a few bodies, some more lifeless than others.

“We have to figure out how to cross the firing line,” Ahsoka said as she moved gingerly toward the tent flap. She peeked outside, then jumped back as a stray blaster bolt singed the tent canvas next to her head. “I’ve seen fire fights between clones and battle droids less intense,” she said, eyes round with surprise as she looked at Korkie.

He shrugged. “Death Watch isn’t to be trifled with,” he said casually, checking the charges on his blasters. 

“Clearly,” she replied. “We’re hemmed in, I don’t-”

She stopped mid sentence as the distinct whining hum of the darksaber slashed through the tent canvas next to Korkie and Lux. Lux jolted back. “Kriffing hells, what is that?” he barked in surprise.

A man sized hole opened up, letting in a blast of frigid air, as well as Korkie's father. “Dad? How did you find us?”

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan greeted cheerfully, as Tol’ket ducked, slipping into the tent behind him. Obi-Wan did a quick glance around the tent, seeing all three of them were alone and safe, and then wrapped Korkie in his arms. "No time for questions now, but thank the heavens you all are safe!"

Korkie hugged his father back, a thousand questions dying on his lips as relief washed over him completely. 

"While I have an untold number of questions for the three of you, we'll save those for when we're finished here. Meanwhile…" He unclipped Korkie's lightsaber from his belt. "Korkie, this weapon is your life,” he said, voice gently scolding, brandishing the hilt in front of him. Korkie rolled his eyes and held up the blasters in his hands, before holstering one and claiming his lightsaber. Obi-Wan pursed his lips and scowled. “So uncivilized.” He turned to Tol’ket. “I blame their love of blasters on you.”

Tol'ket smirked and unhooked both of Ahsoka's lightsabers from his belt. "Here ya go,  _ jetii'ika.  _ I kept them safe." She smiled, tension seeming to melt away from her as she wrapped her hands around their hilts.

Obi-Wan laid a hand on Korkie’s shoulder, his face turning serious. “Before we go back out there, tell me, where is Maul?”

Korkie shook his head. “I haven’t seen him. I keep expecting him to show up, but he hasn’t, and no one has mentioned him.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin in thought, his shoulders bunching with tension. “Hmmm….that’s puzzling.” Then, like a switch was flipped, he shook off the anxiety, smiled, and pulled the darksaber free from his belt. “Not to worry. Let’s get you three out of here.”

Tol’ket nodded, thumbing on his commlink. “Boss, we’re coming out with the kids.” He waited for a reply, but none came. “Boss?” Still nothing. He swore under his breath. “Bo...Bo-Katan!  _ Harr’chak!”  _ He switched channels, a crease of worry forming between his brows. “Ursa, where’s Bo?”

The sound of blasters blared out of his comm before Ursa’s voice joined in. “I don’t know, and I’m kinda busy dealing with the  _ aruetiise.  _ What do you need?” 

“We’re coming out with the kids. Give us some cover.” He distractedly fussed with one of his blasters as he spoke, then looked at Bonteri as he waited for Ursa’s all clear. “You know how to use that, kid?” he asked, gesturing at Bonteri’s blaster.

“Why does no one think I can handle a blaster?” he groaned in frustration, looking at Ahsoka for commiseration.

Tol’ket chuckled. “As long as you don’t accidently shoot any one of us in the back, we’ll count it as a win.” Ursa blared back onto the comm.

“You’re clear, Protector, but move your  _ shebs _ .”

“On it.”

He gestured toward the hole in the tent. “Stay close. Don’t do anything dumb that makes me have to rescue you.” With that, they filed out of the hole Obi-Wan had cut and slowly made their way under the covering fire of Death Watch, lightsabers humming and sparking as Obi-Wan, Korkie, and Ahsoka blocked and redirected bolts. Tol’ket covering their retreat, picked off multiple commandos as he herded his charges to safety. 

When they were safely behind the Death Watch firing line, Obi-Wan directed them toward Ursa Wren, who was barking orders and making steady work of taking down the opposition from behind a shot out speeder. The only acknowledgement she gave that she saw their arrival was a quick nod before more shouting, most of it in colorful Mando’a.

“Stay with Ursa. Do as she says,” Obi-Wan commanded, shoving all three of them down to a crouch. “We’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?” Korkie asked.

Obi-Wan smiled humorlessly. “To find Maul.”

“No! Dad! Let us come with you!” Korkie yelped, making to leap to his feet. A firm hand clamped on his shoulder. 

“ _ Udesii,”  _ Ursa growled at him. “Do as you’re told.”

“Dad…”

“Korkie,  _ stay  _ put. If I think I need you, I’ll call for you, I promise.”

Obi-Wan didn’t wait for an argument from Korkie. He turned on his heel and marched away into the relative calm of the camp beyond the ships, Tol’ket at his side. 

“Sithspit,” Korkie grumbled, then turned around and joined in the fire fight.

* * *

The force of the impact knocked the wind out of Bo’s lungs and left her gasping as she careened away from Saxon. She scrambled to gain control over both her lungs and her flight before she hit the snow, which she was rocketing toward her at an alarming rate.

With a bare meter to spare, she stabilized and leveled out, just in time to see Saxon doing the same. Without hesitation, she boosted toward him again, this time taking the brunt of the impact feet first as she hammered into his helmet. His head snapped back and he let out a loud, snarling grunt as he once again had to stabilize his flight pattern. 

Bo's flight had carried her beyond him, so she quickly changed course and came at him from behind, blasters blazing. He spun away to face her, though, and the bolts whizzed by him harmlessly. She swore. Then swore again as he engaged his grappling cable and caught her by an ankle. He began retracting it, hauling her toward him, pulling her lower, toward the ground. He must have realized the same thing she had- she was light and fast and had the advantage in the air. His size and brute strength, while she could handle, were far more to his advantage on the ground.

Well, she wasn’t going to let him dictate how this would play out, if she could help it. Holstering a blaster, she unsheathed a vibroblade from a gauntlet, and with a grunt, she tried to maneuver herself around to grab and cut the cable. On to her plan, he powered hard to the left, whipping her body around and causing her to lose her grip, dropping the blaster still in her hand, as well. OK, she thought. Maybe he had the advantage in the air. On a second attempt, she caught the cable and held fast when he whipped back the other direction, then slashed herself free. 

Righting herself, Bo once again blasted toward Saxon, catching him around the waist, taking the brunt of the impact with her shoulder. Her vibroblade still out, she slashed at him, the blade finding purchase just under the chestplate of his armor. He roared in pain, then wrapped his legs around her in a vice grip, and hammered her into the ground. The speed of the impact combined with his considerable weight landing on her once again hammered the air out of her, and her head ricocheted hard against the ground.

Ignoring her body’s screaming alarms, she bucked her hips hard and rolled, flipping him off of her. Scrambling to her feet, she went to boost off the ground, but her jetpack only coughed and spit a cloud of smoke and sparks. She tried again, with even less of a response. “Damnit!” 

Saxon climbed to his feet. “Looks like the little owl is grounded,” he said with a menacing chuckle. He winced, and laid a hand on his side where she had stabbed him. His glove came away bloodied. “Great,” he muttered, taking aim with his blaster and firing at her.

She dropped and rolled away, just as her commlink crackled to life. “Boss, we’re coming out with the kids.” It was Tol’ket. She would breathe a sigh of relief if she wasn’t rolling away from another blaster bolt and engaging her personal shield.

“Boss?” Tol’ket again. She fired three rapid fires at Saxon as she sprinted for cover, heard him growl when one winged him.

“Your hero’s looking for you, bitch,” Saxon called. She couldn’t see him from the cover she had taken behind an empty munitions crate, but she could hear his boots crunching in the snow.

“Bo….Bo-Katan!” Tol’ket’s tone switched from hardened soldier to deeply worried. 

As Bo went to answer him, trying to allay some of his fears, Saxon was there and hauling her over the crate by the lip of her backplate. “I don’t think your man is going to make it in time to save you again,  _ aruetyc veriduur.” _

He had her suspended, toes just brushing the snow, an awful, awkward position to be in, but not impossible. “Stop calling me  _ that,”  _ she roared, and swung a wild kick toward his ribs, landing a blow directly into his bleeding vibroblade wound.

With a hiss he dropped her, and she whipped up her blaster, leveling it at him. She was too slow, or he was too quick. He dove at her, grabbing her at the waist, and rolling them both end over end in the snow. Her blaster flew out of her grip, landing with a soft crunch in the snow, out of reach. Their tumbling halted with him straddling her, arms trapped to her sides. He plowed a fist into her helmet, sending her HUD into a frenzy of static and haywire readouts.

“Changed my mind. No blasters, Bo-Katan,” he growled, pulling his fist back again. “I’m going to make this linger, for all the shit you put me through.” He hammered his fist down again, but she pulled her head to the side, and he hit snow instead. 

Panic set in then, as her senses were assaulted by memories of being trapped under another brutal man. As Saxon grabbed her jaw to hold her still and coiled back to hit her again, she channeled her panic and roared again, bucking her hips once more. He wasn’t as easily shaken this time, but she managed to pull her arms free, igniting her flamethrower and blasted him with it. He screamed and rolled off of her to get away from the flame, and she leapt back to her feet, seeing a mess of stars and static. She yanked her helmet off and scrambled for her blaster, any blaster.

“Bo!” She turned to see Obi-Wan and Tol’ket coming around a corner. Saxon, helmet pulled off now, looked up as well, and sneered. 

“I guess I was wrong.” He leveled a blaster toward them, and Bo blasted him again with her flamethrower.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” she shouted, as Saxon ducked and rolled away. “Get out of here!”

Obi-Wan started to come toward her, but Tol’ket grabbed at him, pulling him away from Saxon. “Where’s Maul?” Obi-Wan shouted.

_ Fuck.  _ In her effort to bring Saxon down, she had forgotten about  _ that  _ particular menace.

Before she could answer, Saxon, climbing back to his feet, laughed. “Maul? Fucking bastard left weeks ago. He’s gone, Kenobi. One less headache for me.” He leveled a blaster at Obi-Wan. “And soon to be another one gone, too.” 

Bo launched herself at him as he fired, plowing into him yet again. They tumbled through the snow, Bo scrambling to find purchase and right herself as she heard Tol’ket shout. She clammered to her hands and knees and looked up. “Obi-Wan!” 

Tol’ket, stricken, cradled Obi-Wan in his arms, a blaster burn smoldering dead center over Obi-Wan’s stomach. “No no no…” she whispered.

Bo started to climb to her feet to run to them, Saxon forgotten, but Tol’ket shouted her name in warning, just as Saxon tackled her from behind, pinning her on her stomach. “And you’ll be the last headache eliminated,” he said, his mouth close to her ear, his hot breath on her face. 

One hand bunched in her hair, dragging her head up and back. She felt his other forearm wrap around her neck and heard Tol’ket shouting to her again. She scrabbled at Saxon’s arm, but his hold was like granite. Her eyes locked on Tol’ket. “Get Obi-Wan safe,” she croaked out. She’d figure a way out of this. But the first priority was the Mand’alor. Not only the Mand’alor, but her sister’s love, her niece and nephews’  _ buir _ . Obi-Wan had to be safe.

“Go, Tol’ket,” she squeaked out, and she wildly jammed her vibroblade for any purchase she could find on Saxon. He hissed as she made contact with flesh, but he only tightened his grip. The edges of her vision were going dark. OK. This wasn’t going as planned, but she could see Tol’ket scooping Obi-Wan up. Good. That was good.

She wasn’t sure if seconds or minutes passed, but blackness closed in on her. Just as she made one last feeble attempt to stay conscious, she thought she heard a blaster fire. And then she definitely felt air rush into her lungs as Saxon went limp on top of her.

She lay there gasping great gulps of air, as best she could with the hulking man’s dead weight pressing her into the snow, the cold biting into her bare cheek. Then someone was shoving the weight off and pulling her up into their lap. She looked up.

“Ursa, you beautiful bitch,” she sobbed in relief.

“You are a  _ di’kut,”  _ Ursa scolded. “Can we please make a deal that we don’t go chasing after mean, giant men alone, no matter how fearless and amazing we are?”

Bo let out a sobbing sort of laugh and nodded. “Deal.”

Ursa stood, dragging Bo up to her feet. “You ok?”

“Ask me in an hour when the adrenalin is gone,” she said with a halfhearted laugh. She took a deep breath, relishing the rush of cold, biting air in her lungs. “If you’re here then that means…” she trailed off, picking up her helmet.

Ursa bent, retrieving one of Bo’s blasters from the snow. “It’s cleaned up. A few surrendered. A few made it out into the woods, but Greer is on standby to blow the rest of this place off the map. The little  _ jetii’ika  _ and Korkie and a few others are getting what villagers were still around back to their families.”

“Casualties?”

“Some wounded, but all still kicking,” Ursa said with a smile. 

“And Obi-Wan?” Bo asked as she wandered the area looking for her other blaster.

“Tol’ket called ahead. Medics were waiting. They think he’ll be alright.” She picked up Saxon’s charred helmet and examined it. “Our boy is a bit of a mess, and I’m not sure if it’s because Obi-Wan got shot or because he left you behind.”

Bo found her blaster and picked it up, holstering it. “He did the right thing.”

Ursa gave her a serious look, taking on a far more stern tone than she normally did. “Try telling him that, Bo-Katan. That is not an easy call to make.”

Bo sighed. “That is the  _ only  _ call to make. Ever.”

Ursa walked up to Bo and pulled her into her arms. Bo hugged her back, sagging a bit in the embrace. “There are some of us who would find making that call  _ very  _ difficult, my dear, and I am grateful I was not the one who had to make it tonight.”

“Thank you, Ursa,” Bo said softly, resting her forehead to Ursa’s and closing her eyes, taking one more brief moment of quiet before returning to her Death Watch. They would be wild and rowdy and she was certain there would be all sorts of debauchery to come once they were back to Concordia.  _ If  _ they made it that long. It would come as no surprise to her if she found multiple bottles of  _ tihaar  _ stashed away in gear bags. 

“ _ Tion'ad hukaat'kama?”  _ Ursa asked.

Bo smiled. “You are.”

“Damn straight. Now let’s get back before our boy loses his mind.”

* * *

Bo-Katan had guessed wrong. It had taken over ninety minutes before the pain dampening effects of adrenalin worked their way out of her system. 

She had used that time well, though. She had seen Obi-Wan and Tol’ket off on the very first drop ship, along with the rest of the wounded, carrying them all to the better equipped medbay on the  _ Gauntlet _ . She’d organized the gathering of any and all beskar and weapons that could be found, including the stolen  _ Kom’rk.  _ She assigned four commandos to ride back in the Republic ship to Mandalore with Korkie and Ahsoka and the troublesome Bonteri kid (who she secretly wanted to thank). And she had stood in the cockpit of her drop ship, the last one to leave, Ursa at her side, and watched Greer and his squad of  _ Kom’rk  _ fighters blast to bits each of the remaining ships left in the camp, and then strafe it all to hell. It was probably a horrible waste of resources, but she didn’t care.

Now, as the  _ Gauntlet  _ leapt into hyperspace, she sat on the floor of the command center, the only quiet spot left on the ship, save the tight quarters of the small med bay. Her head was throbbing in that special way that made moving near vomit inducing. Her whole body was aching, unsurprisingly, considering how many times she hit the ground. And she was bone deep tired. 

Her eyes had closed as she leaned her head back against the bulkhead, listening to the revry deeper in the ship, when footsteps caused her to open them again. Something she immediately regretted. She groaned as a wave of nausea washed over her. She was most certainly concussed.

“Why won’t you let the medics treat you, Bo-Katan?” Tol’ket said sternly as he slid down the wall to sit next to her.

“Because I don’t want to use up our limited bacta infusions when our Mand’alor has a hole in his gut and I just got my bell rung.” She took a deep breath, willing her stomach to settle. “I’ll be ok until we get home.”

He grunted but didn’t argue. “I brought you these, which would you prefer?” 

She turned gingerly to see his offerings- a nutritional bar and a trash can. She took the trash can. He chuckled.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, shoulders pressed together. It was comfortable and warm and Bo thought she might just drift off.

“I’m sorry, Bo,” Tol’ket said quietly.

She didn’t dare turn her head. “What do you have to apologize for, Tol’ket?”

He sighed, shifting so they were leaning closer together. “I left you.”

“You  _ had  _ to leave me. You had to get Obi-Wan safe.”

“I didn’t even do my job well tonight. He should have never gotten shot.” She’d never heard him sound so despondent, even in his occasional lamenting over his fears for Mandalore.

“You were trying to get him safe, Tol’ket. I saw it. He’s a stubborn bastard.” She found his hand and squeezed it.

He made some noncommittal noise deep in his chest. “Still, though, I’m sorry I left you.” He squeezed her hand back. “I almost lost you because of it.”

She took the chance with the nausea and rested her head on his shoulder. “But you didn’t. I’m still here.”

He rested his cheek against her hair. “Thank the stars and all our ancestors.”

They fell silent again. Her mind drifted back through the events of the night. Or the day? It was all jumbling together in her head and she honestly wasn’t sure how long all of this had taken. It seemed like days since they’d left Mandalore. A fuzzy half memory came to mind, in this room. Had they nearly kissed? No. No, that was just her rattled brain making things up. A dream, maybe, mixed up with a harmless chat. That must have been it.

She sighed, relaxing more fully against him, her hand still in his. Sleep beckoned, and the last thing she felt as she surrendered to it was his lips brushing against her hair.

Bo woke sometime later in the medbay on the base, head clear and nausea replaced with rabid hunger. And no Tol’ket. He’d returned with Obi-Wan to Sundari, she was told. Obi-Wan was stable and would be just fine, and for that she was grateful. But she couldn’t quite place the funny, hollow feeling she felt, waking up without her Protector by her side.

* * *

Korkie was bone weary as he and Ahsoka piloted the Republic ship off of Carlac and made their calculations for their jump to hyperspace. The Death Watch commandos Bo-Katan had sent with them in the absence of Protectors chatted animatedly in the seating area directly behind the cockpit, giving the ship a pleasant, jovial hum.

It had been a hair raising misadventure if ever there was one, and he owed Aled a huge apology (particularly when Tol’ket had told him, as they loaded his father onto the drop ship, that poor Aled had been shot while covering their escape), but despite it all he’d had a strange sort of fun. Time with Ahsoka almost always meant a strange sort of fun awaited, it seemed. He glanced over at her in the co-pilot’s seat and saw her half grinning to herself and suddenly he knew she felt the same sort of thing. He chuckled.

“What?” she asked, her smile broadening.

“Soka, why was that  _ fun?”  _ he asked in return.

She snorted an undignified laugh. “You are  _ such  _ a Mandalorian.”

“And you are  _ such  _ a Jedi.” They both laughed, only to stop when an alarm trilled on the console.

Ahsoka glanced down. “What the….?” Then leapt to her feet.

“What is it?” Korkie called after her, following her out. 

“An escape pod is activated,” she said. “Where’s Lux?” she asked the commandos.

They shrugged. “He said he was going to make caf,” one answered.

They rushed toward the escape pods, and found one priming to release. Ahsoka rushed to the door, pounding on the window. “Lux? Lux what are you doing?”

He came to the window, looking distraught. “I can’t go with you, Ahsoka.”

“Lux, we can at least  _ try  _ to fix this. We have to try,” Ahoka pleaded.

He shook his head. “You know it won’t help.”

Ahsoka slumped. “I know.”

She put her hand on the glass, and he pressed his to match it. “We’ll meet again, Ahsoka. I know we will.” His eyes flicked up to Korkie. “Thanks for the help, Kryze- _ Kenobi.  _ I learned a few things.”

Korkied gave him a resigned smile. “Be careful out there, Bonteri.”

With one last look at Ahsoka, the pod released and drifted for a moment, before Bonteri piloted it away.

“Damnit,” Ahsoka said quietly, drawing her hand away from the glass. “Why wouldn’t he let me try to help him?”

Korkie pulled her into a hug, which she accepted, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “Some people insist upon learning things the hard way. He’s not a complete idiot, Soka, he’ll be ok.”

She nodded against his shoulder. “I hope so. Thanks for putting up with him, Kork.” She pulled away and started making her way back toward the cockpit. 

“Hey, despite what I said in your choice of friends, any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Besides, you needed someone watching your back, and that is  _ not  _ something he’s got the skillset to do.”

She laughed. “Not everyone grows up learning how to fight as soon as they can walk.”

He chuckled as he slid into the pilot’s seat once more. “Says the Jedi.”

She squeezed his shoulder as she moved back into the copilot’s seat. “Thanks for watching my back,  _ ner vod.” _

He smiled broadly. “And thanks for watching mine.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding dong, Saxon's dead!!!
> 
> Clearly, as I said in comments on the last chapter, my stance on Bo'ket has been made official (I'm the OG shipper), and I realize this chapter may not be the satisfying conclusion to the last chapter you shippers want, but it's what you get. Ha! You are officially welcomed to the official slow burn.
> 
> Please let me know if you want a stance on Korkie and Ahsoka (since several of you have mentioned it) or if you just want to ride out the "no comment" til it becomes clear. I am not nearly as protective of that relationship.
> 
> Sorry I shot Obi-Wan. That sucked. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Tion'ad hukaat'kama?- Who's watching your back?  
> Aruetiise- plural for traitors or outsiders  
> Aruetyc veriduur- traitorous whore. Thank god that man is dead and we don't have to listen to him and his awfulness any longer.
> 
> Soooo many great comments on the last chapter! Can't wait to get chewed about things on this one! Love you all!!!


	50. Beskar'gam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gift brings momentary reprieve to Obi-Wan and Satine from the aftermath- both public and personal- of Carlac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goodness, did you all have some THOUGHTS on the last chapter! They've been a delight to read! It's going to take me most of the day to respond to them!!
> 
> I'm low key in love with this chapter. It did exactly what I intended for it to do when I planned it- tie up some loose ends from Carlac and bring in an element I wanted in a fun way- but, a certain line from a certain someone in Chapter 11 of the Mandalorian inspired me, and took this from a short, fun chapter, to a much deeper thing.
> 
> Great, possibly awful liberties taken with Mandalorian culture and possibly history (but since we don't know much about Mandalorian recent history in canon prior to the year Obi-Wan and Satine spent together, does it matter?). Some less awful liberties taken with Mando'a.

_20 BBY_

Obi-Wan had a new appreciation for Lily's boredom and stir craziness from early in the year as she'd recovered from the slabin poisoning. And he'd only been trapped in the residence for a few days. It was no wonder she had literally been climbing the walls.

The healers were happy with his recovery, praising the swift and expert care he had received from the Death Watch medics. But they insisted he needed more time resting, despite the fact that all that noticeably remained of the blaster shot was the vague feeling in his gut of doing far too many sit ups, and the insect crawling itch of healing skin.

Obi-Wan had argued very briefly with Satine that if he wasn't going to attend meetings, he could at least work from his office, but she had insisted he stay in the residence, only relenting enough to allow one single data packet to be delivered to him each morning. He had decided that the better part of valor was to acquiesce, considering she had held her tongue, thus far, on his stupidity in getting shot in the first place.

And it _had_ been stupid. His obsession to find Maul, once Korkie and Ahsoka were safe, had not only distracted him to the point of getting shot by Gar Saxon, but had also distracted Bo-Katan and nearly cost her _her_ life. He’d put his loyal friend and Protector at risk, left behind his son, and abandoned the warriors who had followed him into battle, all in the name of hunting down Maul. It was far from his finest moment, and he was still grappling with the guilt, as well as the ever present anxiety of knowing Maul was out in the galaxy somewhere, bent on killing his son.

Still, the mission had been a decisive victory for Death Watch, both in the battle as well as in the public eye of Mandalore. In the past few days, since returning from Carlac, the public perception of Death Watch had gone from indifferent at the very best to hailing them as conquering heroes. The act of rescuing a child of the Duchess and the Mand’alor (despite the fact that said child had gotten himself into trouble), along with the annihilation of the final remains of a long time threat to New Mandalore seemed to picque the dormant warrior genes of a large percentage of the public. There had even been calls for a victory parade, which, surprisingly, both Satine and Bo-Katan had been vehemently opposed to, though, unsurprisingly, for vastly different reasons. Satine felt it was inappropriate to celebrate war and violence. Bo, pragmatic to the last, thought it was a complete waste of time.

The tides were changing, it seemed, and the palace was in an uproar on how to manage it. 

And here sat Obi-Wan, restless, useless, and trapped in the family lounge. Yes, he very much understood Lily’s desire to climb the walls now.

He was working his way through his second pot of tea while reading through some correspondence with clan leaders when the lounge door slid open and Bo-Katan entered, Tol’ket following in her wake. She was smiling mischievously and carrying a crate engraved with a repeating pattern of _beskar kar’ta,_ the ubiquitous iron heart of Mandalore. Wordlessly, she slid the tea service to the side and sat the crate in front of him.

He arched an eyebrow and stared at the crate. “What is this?”

Bo shook her head in mock disdain. “You could open it and find out,” she said. Tol’ket grinned from beside her, as if he was in on some prank. He looked at them both skeptically before reaching for the lid of the crate.

“Stars,” Obi-Wan breathed when he laid eyes on the contents. “Bo, this is...unnecessary.”

It was her turn to arch an eyebrow. “Really?” She reached into the crate and pulled out the beskar abdominal plate of what looked to be a freshly cast set of _beskar’gam._ It would sit directly over where Saxon had shot him. She held it out to him. “Considering recent events, I think it may be absolutely necessary, and a few days too late.”

Tol’ket hummed an affirmation and nodded his head. “I am in full agreement.”

“Of course you are,” Obi-Wan grumbled before digging through the crate more. 

The armor was beautiful, much of it left in the dull glow of natural beskar. The pauldrons and collar plate were painted in the deep blue of House Kryze, along with the vambraces. The helmet was simply painted, mostly the same blue, with a thick stripe of bare beskar running from front to back. It gleamed even in the soft light of the lounge. One pauldron was emblazoned with the House Kryze _ca’senaar_ emblem, to match Bo’s pauldron. The other had a stylized depiction of the black blade of the darksaber and the blue blade of his Jedi lightsaber, crossed, a halo of light surrounding them.

“Alrich Wren designed that,” Bo said, watching him study it. “He thought honoring your Jedi past and how it played a role in your becoming Mand’alor was important to portray on your armor.”

“Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan said, his voice hoarse with mixed emotions. “This is really, uh…”

“If you say it is unnecessary, I will smack you,” she said, sounding fierce as she casually draped herself in an armchair across from him. “Put it on. Let’s see how our Mand’alor looks in his _beskar’gam.”_

He studied the chestplate for a long moment. He _had_ a beskar chestplate. He and both the boys, though they were ornamental, a callback to Mandalore of old, worn for formal occasions. This piece of beskar had a weightiness to it that the one cast for him when he had said the _Resol’nare_ shortly after marrying Satine did not possess. That one was all but jewelry. This one was meant to shield him. To stand up to blaster bolts and even lightsaber blades. He turned it over in his hand again, then looked between Bo and Tol’ket, who stood behind her.

“How do you know this will fit?” he asked, now putting down the chestplate and picking up the helmet to study it more closely.

Bo scoffed. “Your entire wardrobe is bespoke. There’s a karking royal tailor who has every measurement of your body.” She gestured up at Tol’ket, who was still wearing a sort of smug half grin. “Our friend here just had to ask.” 

Obi-Wan stood, gingerly- he possibly still ached more than he was willing to say- and looked quizzically at the pieces of armor spread out before him.

“Tol’ket, show him how to properly put it on. The _jetii_ is clueless,” Bo said, gesturing at him like he was a dancing girl meant to entertain her. He couldn’t stop the flush of embarrassment that raced to his cheeks. 

Tol’ket squeezed Bo’s shoulder as he stepped around her chair. “No worries, Obi-Wan. It’s simpler than it looks. He picked up the chestplate and looked at Bo. “Do you say the _haat’miit be beskar’gam?”_ Bo smiled fondly at him, nodded. Tol’ket returned her smile, and suddenly Obi-Wan felt like an intruder, stepping in on some special moment between the two of them. He cleared his throat, and Tol’ket snapped back around to him, remembering his task. “Right, since it is traditional in House Kryze, then I should teach it to you, too.”

* * *

Despite her relief in Korkie’s safe return and Obi-Wan’s favorable recovery- even if he was a karking _di’kut_ for getting shot in the first place- Satine was still grappling with her emotions and thoughts regarding the swift and violent end to Gar Saxon’s small, renegade faction. 

Despite her protests, she understood that bringing Korkie and Ahsoka home safely (and they had certainly _tried_ to get the Bonteri boy safe, too, but his own stubbornness had not allowed that) necessitated the use of force and violence. Saxon and the rest of Vizsla’s Death Watch sympathizers were violent and brutal people. Despite what her sister and her husband thought, she was idealistic, not unrealistic. There _was_ a difference. Her time on the throne had taught her that when it came to getting what you needed from an opposing side, you often had to speak in their language. In their terms. She had just been fortunate enough, thus far in her rule of Mandalore, to not need to use the language of violence. A language she was born into, much as she was born into Mando’a, but one she detested with all her heart. 

She did know, despite Bo’s assertions, that there was no option, no other way around bringing Saxon and his people down. Maybe she had been silly to resist it for as long as she had, but it had been abhorrent, the idea of sending good people into battle, people who had thrown off the shackles of Vizsla’s cruel and barbaric ways and stood beside Bo-Katan for the good of all Mandalore, for no other reason than Saxon had been aided in fleeing his imprisonment on Concordia thanks to Maul. She didn’t want to use good, honorable Mando’ade in such a way. She would have relented eventually, she _knew_ she would have, with more time and more sleepless nights.

But, ultimately, the rash and naive behavior of Lux Bonteri, and Korkie and Ahsoka’s equally rash jump to action to help him had saved her from having to relent. Saving her son, saving the young Jedi, even saving the _jare’la_ Onderonian boy had been a worthy reason to unleash Bo and her Death Watch.

It had still been a devastating decision for her, and knowing just how close she came to losing her idiot husband and her stupidly selfless sister had made her want to scream “ _I told you so”_ in their faces once they were home. But, she had refrained. She let Obi-Wan recover in peace, and instead had dived headlong into coming to terms with the soaring approval of Death Watch. That was something she had _not_ expected. It seemed that, despite the overwhelming popular opinion that peace was preferred for the Mando’ade, now that Death Watch had actually acted in its supposed defensive capacity, her people felt safer knowing they were there. 

It was a puzzle, to be sure, and one she finally thought Obi-Wan was strong enough to truly dive into and help her sort out. She also felt maybe it was time to let on that, while she was furious at him for being reckless and getting hurt, she wasn’t actually angry about the mission itself. She’d only been worried, for him, for Bo, for everyone who had set out to help bring Korkie home. 

With that in mind, Satine scooped up the datapad she had been working on and stepped out of her office, heading toward the residence, looking forward to some time alone with Obi-Wan.

She was _not_ prepared for the sight she walked in on when she entered the lounge.

Bo-Katan was reclining in an armchair, watching as Tol’ket seemed to be instructing Obi-Wan in the proper method of donning armor. Tol’ket was quietly muttering the simple words to a prayer Satine hadn’t heard in years, but had once been as familiar to her as her own name. Her father had said it every morning as he had gotten dressed, as had her mother, on the occasions she would wear her _beskar’gam._ Satine herself had said it nearly every day from the day she had first worn her own armor until the day she had left it behind, in hopes of blending in and staying hidden with her Jedi protectors. 

Obi-Wan repeated each line back studiously, his face bewildered but serious. How this all had come about, Satine wasn’t sure, but she could tell just by the look in his eye that it hadn’t been his idea and he certainly wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. 

Bo was the first to notice Satine, and her face flicked through a series of emotions before settling on happily defiant. “I will now not ever have to worry about your husband being shot in the gut again,” she said smiling.

Satine sat on the arm of Bo’s chair, watching the two men. Obi-Wan flashed her a sheepish look. She kept her face impassive. “I had been hoping he would never again have to be in a situation where being shot at was a possibility,” Satine said dryly. 

“But doesn’t he look nice?” Bo asked, sidestepping Satine’s comment. “He looks like a proper Mand’alor.”

Satine draped an arm across the back of the chair, her fingers absently running through Bo’s hair, and studied her husband, who was listening intently to Tol’ket’s serious, quiet words. 

He was devastatingly handsome. He looked noble and fearless, like a proper Mand’alor, as Bo had said. He was _glorious._

And Satine suddenly really wished she was alone with her Mand’alor.

Before Satine could formulate an answer that properly expressed her appreciation for her husband’s appearance without also condoning the sudden appearance of armor on him, Bo looked up at her, then smiled knowingly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Satine followed Bo’s lead and sidestepped that comment. “The armor is beautiful, Bo. But where did the beskar come from? All our family beskar was lost in the war.”

Bo’s brows pinched together in sadness before her expression once again flicked back to satisfaction. “We used the next best thing- the beskar of his defeated foe.”

Obi-Wan, who had been fussing with the adjustment of a vambrace, suddenly looked up, startled. “My foe? I don’t have any-” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Vizsla?”

“That’s the one,” Tol’ket grumbled, seeming to be taking a wicked amount of pleasure in the fact.

“This is Vizsla’s armor?” Obi-Wan asked, suddenly looking a little pale and horrified.

Satine smiled. “Don’t be silly, Ben. It’s the beskar of which his armor was cast, but it is your beskar now, and it has been shaped into _your beskar’gam_.” She stood and moved to walk around him, admiring him, now that most of it was on and well adjusted. 

“It wasn’t uncommon, in our warrior days,” she went on, “for the victor to claim their opponent’s beskar. Sometimes it was melted down and recast into armor or munitions for the victor. Sometimes it was used to fund the care of the clan. Either was considered appropriate.” She brushed her fingers across the _beskar kar’ta_ in the center of his chestplate, admiring the glow of natural, unfinished beskar. “Most people’s beskar is passed down through the clan. Bo’s has been in our clan for...three?” She looked at Bo for confirmation. Bo nodded. “Three generations. The beskar my armor was made from had been my grandfather’s, who took it when he took Mandalore.”

“I never knew that,” he said quietly, moving a bit to test his dexterity. He still moved like a man in pain, though he swore he felt much better. He looked at her, his face serious, worried even. 

“What do you think?”

She sighed, then kissed him on the cheek. “I pray that you never have to use it, but I don’t hate it.” 

Bo and Tol’ket, who had taken up Satine’s previous spot on the arm of Bo’s chair, both laughed. “I think she more than doesn’t hate it,” Bo said to Tol’ket in a falsely conspiratorial tone. He smiled and winked at her, catching her meaning.

Satine stepped back from Obi-Wan and appraised him more seriously. She was considering something and was unsure how it would be received. 

“It needs something,” she finally said with resolve.

She moved to a cabinet near the windows, kneeling down to reach deep back in a corner. She pulled out a well wrapped bundle, something she had stowed away for many years, unsure what to do with it. Now she knew. Carrying the bundle to the table in front of the sofa, she carefully unwrapped it and unfurled the contents.

Bo gasped, recognizing it in an instant. She stood, rigid with surprise, delight, and grief. “That’s Buir’s cape.” Her voice was thick with emotion, eyes suddenly glassy. She stepped to Satine, and ran her hands lovingly across the dense wool. “How do you have this?”

Satine smiled sadly. “Someone found it, tossed aside, after he was killed. They knew whose it had been and saved it.” Satine ran her fingertips across the Kryze blue trim. “They returned it to me shortly after I returned to Mandalore.”

Bo pulled it gently from Satine’s hand, pressing it to her face. It was far from pristine, having seen their father through many a gruesome battle. Scorch marks and tattered holes adorned it. They were badges of honor and victory. The true cape of a Mand’alor- the battle worn flag leading their people into combat. 

“Do you remember when he would wrap us in it during those impossibly long troop review ceremonies?” Bo asked softly. Satine nodded. Their father had often felt distant, but from her position now as an adult and a ruler of the same hot tempered people he had ruled, she could see now the distance had most likely been due to his struggle to stave off what was an inevitable war. But Satine also had strong memories, burned into her heart, of his gentle, protective ways. She was happy Bo did, too.

Bo held the cape out, giving it a loving examination. “I can’t believe you’ve had it hidden away all this time.” She wasn’t angry. Just surprised.

“I wasn’t sure what to do with it until now.” Satine turned to Obi-Wan, finally remembering she and Bo were not alone with their long dead father’s cape. “But every Mand’alor needs a good cape.”

Bo looked over at Obi-Wan, too. “Indeed,” she agreed, and handed the cape back to Satine. She moved behind Obi-Wan, who had gone very still with solemnity and reverence. 

“Obi-Wan, this cape was worn by the last true Mand’alor, and now you will wear it,” she said quietly as she affixed the cape to his pauldrons. “May the wisdom and love of the Mando’ade our father carried in his heart cover you as his cape now covers you.” Obi-Wan looked her in the eye, and, for a moment, she feared she had called war down on their heads with this simple act. But, at the same time, the look of absolute resolution and strength he gave her made her fear nothing. 

Obi-Wan was Mandalore’s protector more than it’s leader. And he would protect it with the same fierce and selfless loyalty that Tol’ket protected him.

“Oya, Mand’alor,” Tol’ket said softly, Bo repeating him. Satine turned and her breath hitched when she saw the same fierce resolution in their eyes. Peace, her cherished, hard fought peace, needed protectors, and these three would protect that peace until their last breaths. 

They stood in reverent silence for a long moment before it was shattered by house staff bustling in with their lunch.

Satine recovered the quickest. “Do you two want some lunch?” she asked, shaking the heavy, near holy feeling from her bones. 

They both made simultaneous excuses for their need to return to their own work before skittering away together, unsure of how to proceed after the quiet moment they had all shared. 

Obi-Wan was still rooted in his place, looking achingly beautiful and terribly bewildered. 

“I suppose there is no denying I am Mand’alor now,” he said with a forced laugh as the house staff left.

Satine, unable to resist any longer, launched herself at his lips, kissing him with the fierceness he inspired in her. Her fingers raked through his hair, trapping him to her. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist and back, pulling her tight against his beskar, the coolness of it seeping through her dress to her suddenly flushed skin. 

When they finally relented to the need to breathe, she smiled. “No, my love, I’m afraid there is no more denying it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Satine hot for Obi-Wan in armor is my new favorite thing. I'd kinda always planned for it to be that way, but it was fun to write.
> 
> Also a new favorite thing is Satine, duchess of pacifism, going off like some Mandalorian scholar on the traditional rites regarding the spoils of war. Her casualness about it being Vizsla's beskar just makes me giggle. She's peace loving, but you can take the Mando out of the battlefield, but you can't ever really take the battlefield out of the Mando. 
> 
> If you're wondering why Bo even had Vizsla's armor, well, it's a call back to a small moment in the last chapter, when she had all the beskar gathered. Same as when she killed Vizsla- before they disposed of his body, they would have stripped him of his beskar and put it away until it was needed.
> 
> Is any of this true for Mandalorian culture? Who knows.
> 
> The prayer Tol'ket teaches Obi-Wan is completely, totally made up, but I do love to play with the idea of an almost religion these Mandalorians have. They don't really worship anyone or anything, and while they prayer to their ancestors, it isn't really a form of ancestor worship. There's no family shrines or offerings, just a general "hey, cover my shebs" type petition, or a prayer of thanks for keeping them safe. They just feel like they are there, watching over them. I feel like, considering the importance of armor to them, that some clans may even go so far as to say a little prayer as they dress each day. In my head, it is an ancient custom that is rarely done, even before the civil war and peace time. Which brings us to that shared moment between Bo and Tol'ket, when they realize they've both been raised to say it.
> 
> Mando'a Lesson for today: this time with liberties!  
> Ca'senaar- night owl (I was looking to see if there was a canonical sigil for House Kryze, and the only one that kept popping up was the Night Owl emblem. So, I ran with it. I don't know if it is actually the House Kryze sigil or if that's just what people say since Bo wears it, but there you have it).  
> Haat'miit be beskar'gam- prayer/oath of the armor (totally made up phrase).  
> Jare'la- Stupidly oblivious to danger....could literally be said about basically this entire family, but we're using it for Lux today!
> 
> We are rounding the final turn and heading into the home stretch here, folx. I can't believe this is *50* chapters. I had no idea it would be like this when I started, but, well, it took 7 seasons to cover a three year war in canon, so, this seems about right! We have two or three chapters before we head into a series of events that will set us up and carry us into the final climax. Honestly, no spoilers, but enjoy these nice moments. You should also be seeing a pair of (hopefully) short one shots that will be set in the past, when things were sweeter. They aren't vital to this story, but will make a certain event hit a little harder when it comes.
> 
> You all overwhelm me. Seriously. Every comment brings me such a thrill, and I am grateful! And, even if you aren't a commenter, I SEE you and I love you, too. Thanks for reading. Thanks for making my day.


	51. The Wisdom of Aunt Bo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disappointing news sends Lily running to Bo-Katan for comfort, and finds wisdom and family history in Bo's stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooooooooo boy.
> 
> Many apologies for the delay. Here's the story behind it:  
> There was supposed to be another chapter between this one and the last one. I had planned for it ages ago, thought it would be good excitement, thought it worked well with the direction we are heading, build some tension and relationships. And then I started writing it and NOTHING worked. I started and restarted it a record of SIX TIMES. In multiple points of the action, from multiple POVs, I tried everything. There are multiple files in my google docs now titled "51. Take ___." Even this one was titled "51. For real this time" until it got a proper name. But, after tearing all my hair out, I sat back and thought about what I was trying to do and realized it really actually DIDN'T make sense (it was based on a TCW episode. Great in canon. Shit here). So, you got this one instead, which makes for two kinda sweet, not action packed but big on bonding chapters. You're welcome. Honestly, the next arc will hopefully be a doozy, so a couple of softer things is nice.
> 
> And, can I just say, I am BLOWN AWAY by all your thoughts and comments and FEELINGS about the last chapter. I was so happy with how that chapter turned out, even though the original intention was supposed to be more silly than profound. Once I started writing it, I really fell in love with it, but I really wasn't expecting just how touched you all would be by it, too. I've gone back and re-read a lot of the comments as I've struggled the last few days to bolster my confidence, and have slowly been chipping away at responding to them. You all just rock my stripey socks and I love you and your kindness.

_19 BBY_

For the first time in several years, Quinlan Vos was on Mandalore. Of course, technically, he was on some secret mission, but he’d reached out to Obi-Wan and asked to pay a visit. Obi-Wan, despite how irritating Quinlan could be, wasn’t going to deny an old friend a visit, especially considering how many of his childhood friends had been killed during the war. And, judging by the state of his old friend upon his arrival, it was clear the weight of the war seemed to be pulling on Quinlan, as he was more reserved than Obi-Wan had ever seen him. He imagined it was the same for most of the Jedi these days. He said a prayer of thanks that his life choices had led him away from such atrocities.

“I’m touched you’ve kept up with the children’s birthdays,” Obi-Wan said as they walked through the halls of the palace. “Lily has somehow managed to be even _more_ incessant about her kyber crystal the last few months. Frankly, I think the whole palace, possibly all of Mandalore, will be glad once she has it.”

Quinlan’s shoulders slumped as they entered the Protector’s gymnasium. Lily was on the far end with Korkie, sparring with staffs, Bo-Katan standing nearby, offering pointers and correcting form. “That’s why I decided to come visit instead of just send you a message,” Quinlan said.

Obi-Wan glanced over at Quinlan and noted his look of sad resignation. ‘What is it?”

Quinlan leaned up against a wall, watching the children. “They look good, Obi-Wan,” he said, avoiding the question. “You got some karking good warriors there.”

“Quinlan…” Obi-Wan pressed, arms crossed.

Quinlan sighed. “Listen, the order just had a bunch of kids, Huyang, the ship, everything, hijacked by pirates on their way back to the temple from Ilum.”

Obi-Wan nodded, leaning against the wall next to Quinlan. “Yes. I heard a bit about that. I believe the padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was with them?” He had heard _a lot_ about it, actually, as Ahsoka had regaled both Anakin and Korkie about the adventure, which meant that he, in turn, had heard the tale. He probably knew more about it than the council would like.

“Yeah, good kid,” Quinlan said. “Here’s the thing. We’re spread too thin.We can’t safely get kids in and out of Ilum right now. That was the last group of younglings to go until further notice.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t mask his surprise. “Are you serious?” Swearing and yelling filled the gym, and Obi-Wan looked up at Lily and Korkie, standing toe to toe, arguing about something. He caught Bo’s eye, and she just smirked, before stepping in and saying something, an arm around Lily, prying her out of her brother’s space. 

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“So, what does that have to do with Jedha?” Jedha had been where the boys had both gotten their lightsaber crystals, considering it was less protected by the Jedi, less sacred somehow, it was easier to get to the crystals. And it certainly helped that Quinlan had a _friend_ that Obi-Wan could pay off to get them into the caves below the temple on Jedha.

“After the hijacking, Jedha got locked down so tight, they’re not even letting pilgrims in right now.” Quinlan rubbed the back of his neck. “And when I say tight, I mean so _tight_ that even my rugged good looks and charm can’t get us in.”

Obi-Wan shook his head and chuckled. Then the implication of all this dawned on him. “Oh. Oh no. Oh dear.” He rested his forehead in his hand. “This is not going to go over well.”

Quinlan laughed as he watched Lily rake Korkie out at the knees and pin him. “May want to tell her when she doesn’t have a weapon in her hand.”

Obi-Wan groaned. “Lily _is_ a weapon.”

That made Quinlan guffaw and smack Obi-Wan roughly on the back. “Well, this war can’t go on for that much longer, right?” Quinlan asked. “Besides, it’s not like you don’t have a spare lightsaber for her for whatever weird coming of age ritual you kriffing Mandos have.” He flicked the darksaber hanging from Obi-Wan’s belt.

Obi-Wan stilled the swinging hilt with his hand, not taking his eyes off of Lily. “For your information, it’s the _Resol’nare,_ and it is the creed we say to become true Mando’ad. And, yes, she can certainly use my Jedi saber.” He sighed. “Still, I know they aren’t Jedi, but it’s important to them. They consider it as much their heritage as their language and all of this.” He gestured at their sparring. “It won’t be the same.”

“No, no it won’t. But she’ll get her chance. She’s a smart kid, Obi-Wan. She’ll understand.”

Obi-Wan nodded but didn’t say anything. Lily _was_ smart, and, with some time, she would certainly understand. But it seemed like her young life was constantly being influenced by the unending war, and it pained him. While both her brothers had traveled and been able to experience life outside of Mandalore when they were her age, Lily was lucky if she got a highly guarded and carefully planned trip to Coruscant (and the last trip had been disastrous). Even her illness a year earlier had ultimately been due to trade issues thanks to the damn war. And now, the one thing she had been most excited for for _years_ would not be happening. Not for the foreseeable future. He scrubbed his face with his hands. 

“Well, I guess I should get this over with,” he said with a sigh, squaring his shoulders, and willing calm into his bones. 

He led Quinlan to the far side of the gymnasium, up to Bo-Katan, who was shouting at Lily to protect her head, as Korkie swung his staff powerfully toward her. Thankfully, she pulled her staff up in time to block the blow, saving them from having to explain another black eye to Lily’s instructors. 

“Bo, I’d like to introduce you to an old friend of mine, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. Quinlan, this is Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, my sister-in-law and commander of Death Watch.”

Bo turned to Quinlan, extending her hand. “Master Vos,” she said in simple greeting.

Quinlan took her hand and made to kiss it, but she pulled her hand loose and smacked him sharp on the cheek. “Save that nonsense for my sister.”

Quinlan, clearly amused, smiled, the sting of the blow barely registering, and bowed his head, extending his hand to shake instead. “My apologies, Lady Bo-Katan. No disrespect intended.”

She rolled her eyes, but shook his hand amiably. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, deadpan and a bit sarcastic.

Obi-Wan chuckled at the exchange, not the least bit surprised at Bo’s reaction. “Bo, may I borrow Lily?”

“She’s your kid.” She whistled, and both the children looked up from their locked staffs, scowling at each other. “That’s plenty for today, you two.”

The two broke apart, turning to the adults. When Lily’s eyes settled on Quinlan, they went wide and big and a tremor of excitement visibly shook her. “Master Quin!” she shouted, running up to him. “Buir didn’t say anything about us going to Jedha so soon.” 

Quinlan flashed Obi-Wan a nervous look before turning back to Lily. “Not just yet, little one. I’m just here for a visit.” He put his hands on both her shoulders, pushing her to arm’s length as if to appraise her. “I’m not sure I can really get away with calling you little, anymore.”

Lily beamed up at the big Jedi. “Nope. Not really. Auntie Bo has a bet with Tol’ket that I’ll be taller than Korkie.”

“There is no way that you’ll be taller than me,” Korkie said with a laugh. “Aunt Bo, I think I’m offended.”

Bo shrugged. “Pray you got Kryze genes in that department, then, and not the _jetii_ genes.” 

Quinlan laughed, giving Bo an appreciative look. “I like her, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan groaned. “Alright, that’s enough. Lily, you and I need to talk.” He gestured toward the door.

Lily gave him a hard, wary look, but moved into the direction of the door. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to send her calming, soothing energy as they walked.

“Come on, Korkie. Show me what you can do with that lightsaber,” he heard Quinlan say as they moved away, and Lily spun around, indignant.

“That’s not fair! I want to spar with Master Quin!”

Before Obi-Wan could answer, Quinlan shouted to her. “Don’t worry, Lily. You’ll get your chance.” 

She grumbled under her breath, and Obi-Wan was sure he heard some particularly colorful and vulgar Mando’a, but chose to ignore it. He pressed her gently toward the door, instead, out into the small courtyard that separated the gymnasium from the main palace complex. He led her to a bench and pulled her to sit down next to him. 

“Lily, my little love,” he started gently, brushing a sweaty tendril of hair out of her eyes, “I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news.”

She stiffened, pursing her lips. “Does this _unfortunate_ news have something to do with Master Quin visiting?”

He nodded. “Yes. It does.” He sighed, stealing himself to relay the news. “We won’t be able to go to Jedha for your kyber crystal, Lily.”

She went very still, staring off into the middle distance. “Are we going to Ilum, then?” she asked after a long moment. He could tell she already knew the answer. 

“No, Lily. Your kyber crystal will have to wait until the war is over.”

She stayed still, though she looked like she would burst into pieces if touched the wrong way. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes were wet and glassy, but no tears spilled. She was becoming too much like her mother, too soon. Too strong, too unwillingly to show weakness. “Lily?” He spoke her name gently, hoping to shake her loose, get some reaction from her. He could handle a wild, angry tantrum. Tears he could handle. But this hard, stoic stillness, well, this was harder to handle.

She blinked, clearing the unshed tears. “Why should I be surprised?” she scoffed. “I don’t get to do anything else, so why should I get to do the _one thing_ I’ve cared about since I was old enough to care about anything.”

“Lily, darling, we _will_ do it. It’s just not safe right now. It isn’t even safe for the order. Younglings were hi-”

She stood suddenly. “Whatever. It’s- just...whatever.”

And with that, she stalked off, ignoring him as he called after her. 

* * *

  
  
“What do you think of this Vos character?” Bo asked Tol’ket as he handed her a cup of caf and moved past her to sit back down at his desk.

He rolled his eyes so hard she feared he may actually hurt himself. “He’s….fine. He’s fine.”

“You are a _terrible_ liar.”

He glared at her over the rim of his caf cup. He sat it down, picked up the datapad he’d been working on and stared blankly at it. “It’s just that, while he’s a nice guy- and I do mean that sincerely- he is _everything_ we accuse Obi-Wan of being. Vos _is_ legitimately insane. I’m sure of it. I worry for Obi-Wan’s safety and sanity whenever they are together. He _is_ the karking crazy _jetii_ we fear.” He tossed the datapad back down, clearly not in the mood to deal with budgets at the moment. “ _And,_ “ he added with an emphasizing finger, “he flirts with _everyone.”_

Bo laughed at that. “That explains things. He tried to kiss my hand when Obi-Wan introduced us.”

This time Tol’ket laughed. “Did you punch him?”

“No!”

He cocked a dark eyebrow at her.

“I smacked him,” she said, shrugging before taking a sip of her caf.

He chuckled. “That’s my girl.” He glanced at the chrono on his wall. “Are you due back at base? Have time for some dinner? We could try that place I was telling you about.”

Before she could answer, his office door slid open and Lily stormed in, face red and eyes glassy with tears. “Lily Bo, what’s wrong?” Bo asked, startled.

Lily flung herself into Bo’s lap and started crying. Bo instantly wrapped her arms around her, looking up at Tol’ket in a sad sort of dismay. His face mirrored hers.

Lily was probably far too big to be cradled in Bo’s lap, but Bo didn’t care. She’d missed the opportunity to kiss her niece and nephews’ scraped knees and rock them to sleep when they were tiny; she damn well was going to offer them whatever comfort she could now that she had the chance. She would cradle Lily as long as Lily asked for it.

“Lily,” she tried again. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?” She rubbed circles into the girl’s back, trying to sooth her as best she could.

Lily nodded against her shoulder. “Buir just told me we can’t go get my kyber crystal.”

Tol’ket hissed a little swear, and Bo looked to him, questioningly. Lily had talked about her excitement over her kyber crystal, but Bo was still learning about the ins and outs of the kids' _jetii_ customs that their father had carried over into their lives. “That’s a big deal. A huge deal,” Tol’ket explained. “And one I was really fearing might come about.”

Bo frowned, and hugged the girl to her a little tighter, resting her cheek against her hair. “Oh, little warrior, I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “Surely it’s not a _never_ type thing, though. Yes? Just a _not now_ thing.” 

Lily sagged a little, and nodded. “He said after the war.” She sat up suddenly, passing instantly from distraught and heartbroken into angry, like only a girl mere weeks from her thirteenth birthday could. “But _still._ I’m supposed to have my own lightsaber for my _Resol’nare._ And now I won’t.”

Tol’ket got up and moved around Bo and Lily, rummaging in the little conservator under his caf machine, and producing a fizzpop. He handed it and a tissue to Lily, giving her shoulder a little squeeze. “You don’t need a lightsaber to say your _Resol’nare,_ Lily,” he said gently, sitting in the chair next to them. 

“I know…”

Bo brushed a tear off of Lily’s cheek. “Lily, the great thing about being Mandalorian is that there are some things we are very relaxed about. You could say your _Resol’nare_ right here, in front of me and Tol’ket, and that would be it. It would count.”

Lily sniffed and took a sip from the fizzpop. “I know, but…”

“I know. I know, it’s not the same. And that fucking sucks.”

Lily snorted a little laugh. “It does.” She sighed, calmer now, her tears and red hot anger spent. “Ba’vodu, can I go back to Concordia with you tonight?”

“Sure. Let’s just let your mum-”

“No. I don’t want to see them right now. I just….I just want to hang out with you.” Her eyes were big and pleading. Bo knew she was being manipulated, but didn’t care. 

“Right. Fine, you got it, kid. Just you and me.” 

“Lily, why don’t you go wash your face, and then I’ll take you and Bo to her shuttle,” Tol’ket said, his tone still gentle. Lily nodded and slid out of Bo’s lap, handing her her can of fizzpop. 

Before she made it to the door, Bo called to her. “Lily, how’d you know I’d be here?”

Lily made an incredulous face. “Where else would you be?” Then turned and went to wash her face.

Bo felt her cheeks flush a bit at that, and Tol’ket smirked at her. “You’re a creature of habit, Bo,” he teased. 

She ignored his comment, instead took a sip of Lily’s fizzpop, and immediately regretted it. “Stars, how do they drink this?” She rinsed the sickening sweetness down with a sip of caf.

Tol’ket chuckled as he moved into the logistics of Lily’s running away from home. “I’ll see you off, then let Obi-Wan and the Duchess know their daughter has run away and joined Death Watch.” Even under his dark complexion, he blanched as soon as he said it. “Well, I’m a right _shabuir_ , Bo. I’m sorry.”

She laughed lightly and stood, moving around behind him. “You have said far worse, and meant it.” She laid a hand on his broad shoulder, her thumb brushing gently against the exposed skin of his neck. “It _was_ funny. I’m not fragile. I can take a joke.” 

He looked up at her, placing his hand over hers. “Rain check for dinner?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, smiling. “Rain check.”

“Can we go now?” Lily shouted from the outer office, and they both jumped, hands falling apart.

He sighed and stood. “Duty calls. Come, Auntie Bo. Your new recruit awaits.”

* * *

Bo welcomed Lily’s presence in the small quarters she had, until recently, shared with Ursa and Sabine. Alrich had finally made it to Concordia, and Ursa and Sabine had joined him off base, in a small house with a big studio. While Bo was certainly thrilled for Ursa and Alrich finally getting to be together, she missed the companionship and noise that came with living with someone, especially someone she had shared a space with for a decade. She’d considered inviting someone else higher up the chain of command to join her, but the only person she liked enough to want to see their face that much was Greer, and he was happily holed up with his husband and their new foundling. If Bo could get away with it, she would just _keep_ Lily. Satine would not have that, she knew, for a million different reasons. But it was still tempting.

So, she was happy to take what she could get. They’d eaten in the mess, and now, after changing into soft sleep clothes, they share a blanket on the uncomfortable sofa in the tiny living area, watching some holoreel that Lily had found. It was some ridiculous romantic thing, and they had fallen into mocking the premise, the characters, and all the ridiculous situations they seemed to get into. It was a far cry from anything Bo ever watched, which was usually nothing, but Ursa had nearly always had some sort of ridiculous cooking or baking holoshow on, running in the background. Despite that, it was a pleasant way to spend an evening.

After a while, they fell silent, Lily’s head resting on Bo’s shoulder. Bo wondered if Lily had fallen asleep, and was just beginning to debate with herself on whether she should wake her up to move to Ursa’s old bedroom, or let her stay on the lumpy sofa, when Lily sat up with a start.

“I can’t believe I don’t get to go get my kyber crystal,” she said, her frustration and disappointment palatable.

Ok. So, she was definitely not asleep.

Bo turned the holoscreen off and turned toward Lily on the sofa, pulling her knees up to her chest. “You know, Lily Bo, I understand why this is so hard for you, probably more than you realize.”

Lily scooted around to face Bo, and they sat close, heads nearly touching. “You do?”

Bo nodded. “I’m not sure how much you know about the civil war beyond the facts they teach you at the academy. Like how it affected us, your family, personally.”

Lily looked thoughtful. “I know Ba’buir was killed and that’s why the clan leaders asked the Jedi to come keep Mum safe.”

“Yep, that’s all true, but that was right at the end of the war, the final act, really. That was a _long_ year, but it was the last year.” Bo paused, mulling over how much awfulness was appropriate to share with an almost thirteen year old girl. “You probably don’t know that I said my _Resol’nare_ during war time, too, which, in the tradition of our people, really is appropriate and right. But your Mum and I had grown up in relative peace. Not quite the kind of peace you grew up in, but still peace. Buir still ran off and beat down occasional clan unrest and the like, but that stuff didn’t affect us.

“But then our mother was killed- your mum was just a bit older than you, I was ten, and the war started in earnest and life changed _dramatically._ We were constantly moved around. Sometimes at home in Sundari, sometimes we'd be sent back to Kalevala. Sometimes we'd be taken to stay with allied clan heads, in an attempt to hide us."

"Mum has never told me _any_ of this," Lily said, her voice stained with anger.

Bo ran a hand down Lily's loose, messy braid. "Cut her some slack, Lily Bo. It was hard for both of us in different ways. I was just a kid, and, really, so was your mum. But your _ba'buir_ and the other heads of Clan Kryze started getting nervous that if something happened to him, Satine would be unprepared. So, in the middle of being moved around, she was tutored and quizzed on all things government, and began sitting in on council meetings and strategy sessions." Bo blinked, trying to clear her vision of Satine sitting up late in whatever tiny bedroom they were hidden in, crying over the immensity of the task she was being prepared for, datapads and holorecorders spread out around her. They'd both been _so_ young.

Lily nodded, understanding, her face softening some. "Anyway," Bo went on, shaking her head a bit. "Saying your _Resol'nare_ has always been a big deal with us Kryze, but here we were in the middle of a horrible war. Back then, we were gifted with _beskar'gam_ . I was _so_ excited, probably about as excited as you are for your own lightsaber. Satine's had been so pretty, and so special, cast from _our ba'buir's_ armor, and I knew I was meant to get our mother's beskar." 

"You didn't get it?" Lily asked.

"No, I got it. But there had been no time to cast it into something of my own. I literally was given my mother's _beskar'gam_." It had been bittersweet, when the crate of armor had been set in front of her. She'd known each dent and scratch of that armor, she had traced each sigil with her fingers when her mother had held her while wearing it. But the beskar was meant to carry her mother's memory as it took a new shape for a new warrior, not scream the memories at her each time she put it on.

She didn't say any of that. "It didn't fit right and was uncomfortable to wear, but by that time, we were running constantly, it seemed, so I had to wear it. I was a string bean like you, and my mother, well, my mother was a woman." She stopped and pulled the hem of her tank top up a bit, revealing her belly, and pointed to a red mark low on her ribs. "It chaffed so bad it left a scar.” Lily gawked at the scar (and probably the others Bo knew were visible on her abdomen), then wrinkled her nose.

“Ouch,” she hissed.

“Yeah. Hurt like a son of a bitch, but I sucked it up. I wasn’t able to recast it for years.” When Death Watch scooped her up and offered her their strange security. She didn’t say that, either.

“All of that is a long way of saying I get it, Lily. I really do.” 

Lily launched herself at Bo, wrapping her arms around her neck tightly. “Thanks, Aunt Bo.” 

Bo hugged her back, equally as tight. “No sweat, kiddo.” She turned her head slightly as to not muffle her voice into Lily’s hair. “And tell you what, you might not get your kyber crystal and your own lightsaber, but I’ll make _sure_ your _Resol’nare_ is special, ok?”

Lily nodded, and pulled away. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Mum said you were dead for so long, and you’re not, obviously.” She paused, clearly trying to piece out her thoughts. “But….but you were with Death Watch. How did that happen? Mum has never told me _anything_ about it.”

Bo winced at the question, and hummed a little uncertain noise. “Lily, there is a lot in that story that is very hard to tell and not the kind of thing you need to know now. I promise, when you’re a little older, I will tell you what happened.” Lily narrowed her eyes at her, but Bo shook her head, standing firm. “You can make that ugly face all you want, but there are things that happened to me that no girl- no person, for that matter- should have to deal with, and I don’t want you having those thoughts in your head until you're older.” 

Lily stiffened and seemed to come to some sort of understanding. Perhaps she wasn’t quite as sheltered as Satine would like to believe. “I _will_ tell you. I think it’s _important_ to tell you. But you need to stay a kid for a while longer, ok?”

Lily nodded, then yawned mightily.

“Now, little warrior, _gar shuk meh kyrayc._ Let’s go to bed.”

Lily huffed out a laugh, and yawned again before unfolding herself from the sofa. “Fine,” she said with mock teenage angst. “Can I go to the firing range tomorrow?”

Bo shrugged, then picked up her datapad. “Sure, we can arrange that, but…” She paused to scroll, and pulled up a short message from Obi-Wan. “Would you rather do this?” 

She handed the datapad to her, and Lily read the message Obi-Wan had sent to Bo, letting her know that the strange Jedi had stayed the night in hopes of Lily returning, so he could spar with her.

“Oh hells,” Lily whispered. “He _stayed?”_

“Yup. You won’t hurt my feelings if you wanna go back and kick his _jetii shebs.”_

“Really?”

“Really. I’ll take you back after breakfast and morning briefing. Deal?”

Lily beamed. “Deal.”

* * *

The child Obi-Wan and Satine greeted at the docks the following morning was not the same one that had run away from him the afternoon before. Lily walked off of Bo-Katan’s shuttle, smiling and chattering away, as if nothing had happened. She hugged him, and hugged her mother, then ran to get into the waiting speeder, anxious for her opportunity to spar with a _proper_ Jedi.

“You accuse _me_ of magic, but it seems you worked your own last night,” Obi-Wan said to Bo, smiling as they both watched Lily, talking the ear off of the Protector driving the speeder.

Bo shook her head. “No magic. She just needed to work it out of her system. I told her the story of my _Resol’nare._ That seemed to help the most.”

Satine stiffened next to Obi-Wan, her eyes going sad. “Oh, dear. You two really are more alike than I ever realized,” she said, smiling sadly at Bo.

Obi-Wan looked between the two of them. “What about your _Resol’nare_ made Lily feel better?”

“Ask her. I’m sure she’ll tell you,” she said. 

Satine moved, wrapping Bo in her arms. Bo stiffened for a moment, but then returned the embrace. “You are a very wise woman, Bo-Katan. I am grateful you are here.”

Obi-Wan saw Bo close her eyes, as if to steady herself, then squeezed Satine harder. “I am grateful I am here, too, Satine.”

“Come on!” Lily shouted from the speeder. The women broke apart, laughing. 

“Don’t keep her waiting,” Bo said, a wry smile on her lips. “She now has the entire high command of Death Watch wrapped around her little finger, ready to do her bidding.”

Satine rolled her eyes as she turned toward the speeder. “Of course she does. Stars forbid that girl charm, I don’t know, a diplomat?” She waved goodbye to Bo, and moved on toward the speeder.

Obi-Wan smiled at Bo. “Thank you, Bo. Whatever you did, I truly appreciate it.”

“Anything for you all, Obi-Wan. Always.” She smiled, then turned back to her shuttle, back to Concordia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-ho, how do you make yourself feel like an epic bad guy? Make it so your favorite kid can't do the one thing she's wanted to do for basically the entire story. I hate myself. But I love Bo-Katan. 
> 
> If you haven't already, there is a one shot titled "Let Go" that is Anakin's kyber crystal journey, and goes into the details of just how that works. Korkie will have one, too, and I had really wanted them both to be ready BEFORE I wrote this, but, uhhh, read the notes at the beginning! lol
> 
> Also, we are officially in 19 BBY. OH SHIT. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day-  
> Gar shuk meh kyrayc- You're no use dead. Said to someone who needs to get some sleep.
> 
> I'm not sure if this is a thing, but I finally put my dead tumblr account to use. If you're there, I share fanart from the story, scream about Bo-Katan, and occasionally share random thoughts about Star Wars. I will talk obsessively about my head canons for this family there, if asked. So, if that's a thing, you can find me under the same name. I'm a total neophyte with tumblr, so just realize that if you do come find me. 
> 
> You all are my favorites.


	52. Ecstatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin gets good news. Bo-Katan does not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick chapter for today! Some would even say some of it is down right fluff. Enjoy!
> 
> Thanks for being so continuously awesome. You all are just the coolest.

_ 19 BBY _

Anakin seriously wondered if he should go visit the dentistry droid after this meeting, considering how hard he was grinding his teeth in an effort not to start shouting.

“Chancellor, sir, these proposed restrictions on the trade routes are going to hurt so many systems, and  _ not  _ just the neutral ones,” he said, after taking a calming breath and willing himself to unclench every muscle in his body. “There has to be some sort of compromise.”

The Chancellor smiled his benevolent smile and opened his hands in resignation. “Senator Skywalker, sadly, we must all make sacrifices in these times. I’m afraid we are running out of options.”

Anakin forced himself to keep the well schooled face of calm and indifference he had learned from his mother, instead of rolling his eyes, like he wanted to do. The Supreme Chancellor spoke of making sacrifices, but could be spotted in his private box at the opera several nights a week. “Your Excellency, our people aren’t just making sacrifices anymore. They are starving _.  _ They are  _ suffering _ .”

The other senators in the room nodded in agreement. Was the Chancellor being willfully obtuse about this? What purpose would that serve? 

“Senator Skywalker is right, Chancellor,” Bail Organa said. “The current restrictions are bad enough. People will die if we slow down these routes even more.”

“Senators, we are all doing our very best in all of this. I suggest we table this discussion for today.” He stood up from behind his desk, a sign that he was done with this particular meeting. “Perhaps some time to consider these proposals will give all of us fresher perspectives.”

The senators followed the Chancellor’s lead and stood, as well, some taking time to say their goodbyes. Anakin, however, took the opportunity to slip out, making his way rapidly to his own office. 

He was deep in thought as he entered his space, working through how to lift the restrictions that were affecting not only Mandalore, but many other planets in the Outer Rim. So lost in thought that he jumped when Padme said his name.

She laughed at his surprise. “You were a million miles away,” she said, rising from the sofa she had been sitting on.

He pulled her into his arms, taking full advantage of a quiet moment with her in the middle of the day. “Sorry, angel. I was just thinking about these kriffing trade route restrictions. They just keep getting worse.”

Padme pulled him down to sit next to her on the sofa, holding both his hands. “I understand, but right now, I need you to take a couple of big, deep breaths and clear your head.” She bit her lip as she smiled at him. “I don’t want you thinking about trade routes when I say what I have to say.”

He looked at her skeptically, but she was smiling, so he went with it. Chuckling nervously, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind, breathing deeply and dipping gently into the Force for a moment. For once, even here in the Senate, the Force buzzed around the two of them happily. He smiled, and opened his eyes, locking his with hers.

“Ok. Say what you need to say.”

A little tremor ran through her, and he tightened his grip on her hands. “I was going to wait until tonight when we’re home. But I can’t.” Her smile brightened even more. “Something wonderful has happened.” She paused, as if gathering the words. “Ani, I’m pregnant.”

Anakin was sure his heart just stopped. Maybe everything stopped. Even the constant buzz of traffic. Had she actually said what he thought she had said?

“...Ani?”

Padme’s voice brought all sound and motion screaming back to Anakin’s senses. His eyes focused back on Padme. “Pregnant?”

She nodded her head, her smile dimming a little. “Ani, are you alright?”

Anakin shook himself loose. Cupping her cheek, he smiled and chuckled. “I’m sorry. I was in shock.”

Her bright smile returned, and she held his hand to her cheek. “And now?”

“And now I am overwhelmingly happy.” He kissed her softly. “Beyond happy.” He kissed her again. “Overjoyed.” Another kiss. “Ecstatic.” Another kiss. Now Padme was giggling, batting him away.

“You’ve made your point, Anakin.” She leaned back into the sofa, and her face went a little more serious. “I’m not sure the queen will allow me to continue to serve with a baby.”

Anakin leaned into the cushions, too, angling his body to face Padme more fully. He pursed his lips in consideration. “We can cross that bridge when we get to it. But, we’ll both be in the senate building. We can trade off as needed. We’ll get nannies.”

“Nannies? Plural?” Padme asked with a laugh.

“I mean, we always had at least two for each of us,” Anakin said with a shrug.

Padme laughed heartily at that. “That’s because you three aren’t  _ normal.”  _ Then a thought dawned on her and her eyes went wide. “Oh no. This is your child.”

Anakin laughed this time. “So, two nannies it is.” He placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. “And everything is ok?”

She smiled and nodded. “Everything is exactly as it should be.”

He slumped in relief. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby!” He got up, and went to his desk, pulling up a screen.

“What are you doing?” Padme asked.

“Clearing our schedules for the rest of the day.”

“What? Anakin, no. Don’t be silly.”

He gestured at the screen. “It says here neither of us have any more meetings for the day. There are no senate hearings scheduled.” He moved back to her, sliding close to her on the sofa. “Let’s go home, order too much take out, and celebrate.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Ani, you're ridiculous.”

“I am ridiculously in love and I’m going to be a father. Humor me.”

She laughed and leaned up to kiss him. “Fine. But only if you compromise and let me bring some of my reading home.”

“It’s a deal. I’ll do the same. We’ll be boring together.”

She stood, then pulled him to his feet. “All I want is to be boring with you, Ani.”

“Ah, what’s the fun in that?” he asked, moving to his desk to gather his work to take home.

“When should we tell our families?” Padme asked as she waited for him near the door. 

“We’re going to Mandalore in a couple of weeks. We can tell my family then.” He moved across the office, making sure it was tidy, important things locked up. “We can make a quick trip to Naboo before or after.”

They moved out into the corridor, heading toward Padme’s office to gather her things. “Don’t you think that will steal Lily’s thunder?”

Anakin thought for a moment. Lily’s  _ Resol’nare  _ was already a bit problematic now that she wouldn’t be able to get her kyber crystal. Their father was giving her his Jedi lightsaber, but Anakin knew Lily was heartbroken about another experience being robbed from her because of the war. But, all that considered, she was still Lily. “I think she’ll be alright. I think she’ll be excited, actually. Maybe we just won’t blurt it out in the middle of her party.”

Padme laughed. “That seems reasonable.” She smiled at him again, as they stepped into her office. “Ani. We’re having a  _ baby.”  _

Anakin’s heart soared. A  _ baby!  _ With the woman he loved more than anything. How could life get any better?

* * *

  
  


Bo-Katan sat in her office. A rarity. She hated the business end of her position, the part that caused her to spend hours at a desk instead of with her people, but occasionally she was forced to deal with the administration side of running Death Watch or actually acting as governor of Concordia. Thankfully, now that she had slowly worked out all the knots Pre had tied into Concordia’s administration, economy, and general governance (all in an effort to hide Death Watch, which no longer needed to hide), most of the work could be left to staff. Most of which were far more capable of running a moon, even one with a small, mostly agrarian population, than she was.

But, sometimes, she was still forced to be governor. And she hated it.

“Hey, boss?” Greer greeted tentatively as he slipped in through her door.

“What is it, Greer?” While she was mostly happy for the distraction, she had finally found a rhythm to her work. Now she’d have to find it again.

He shifted uncomfortably in front of her desk before she gruffly motioned for him to sit down. “What  _ is  _ it, Greer?”

He sat and rubbed the back of his neck. “I got some information from a...uh...contact of mine that I think you need to know.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “And it is?”

He shifted in his seat. “They say there’s going to be some kind of attack on Sundari during your niece’s  _ Resol’nare.” _

Bo went still. “An attack? What kind of attack? Separatists?”

He shook his head. “No, no, thank the stars.”

“Then what kind of attack, Greer? Who else would attack us?”

“They were short on details, but I would gather, knowing them and the likes they hang out with, it’s got something to do with crime syndicates.” He looked sheepish, almost repentant. 

“ _ Crime syndicates?  _ Who the hell is your contact?”

He sighed. “No one important. I met them on that mission Vizsla sent me on to Oba Diah-”

“Your contact is a  _ Pyke,  _ Greer?  _ Manda’ner.”  _ Bo scrubbed her face in frustration.

“No, no, no….they’re just some sleemo that does things for the Pykes on occasion. They owe me money after I beat their ass in sabacc while I was there. So, sometimes they slip me information they think I might find useful. This is the first time it actually seemed useful,” he explained.

“We need to get you better friends. You’re a married man now.” She leaned back in her chair. “Tell me what you know.”

“That’s it.”

“That’s all you got out of them?”

He made a pained face. “Yeah. Sorry, boss.”

“So, to clarify, we should expect some sort of attack that may or may not be orchestrated by one or more crime syndicates on the day of my niece’s  _ Resol’nare.  _ And this information is brought to me by a Pyke henchman. Do I have that correct?”

“It sounds awful when you say it like that.”

“It’s not great.” She huffed out a breath. “But I’m not going to ignore it. Thanks, Greer. Get back to whatever you’re supposed to be doing.” He stood and gave her a casual salute and headed for the door. “And, for real. Better friends. You’ve got a family to think about.”

“You got it, boss.” He slipped out as quietly as he had slipped in. Bo growled in frustration, staring up at the ceiling. Would they ever catch a break?

She gathered her thoughts for a moment, trying to remember the breathing exercises Obi-Wan had taught her when she started to feel anxious. Then, sitting up, she punched a few controls on the holoprojector on her desk.

Within a few moments Tol’ket’s face blinked to life in front of her. He was breathing hard and looked sweaty- he must have been sparring or out for a run- but he flashed his crooked smile at her when he saw her face. “Hey, Bo.” Then her expression registered with him and he realized this wasn’t a social call. His face fell. “What’s wrong?”

“We have a problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I realize being told by your secret wife that she's pregnant while you're in the middle of a war is going to come as a scary shock, but I hate Anakin's reaction in canon. I know it probably makes sense- they aren't even supposed to be married, and now he's married with a baby on the way? Yeah, I get it. It's an oh, shit moment. But I wanted better things for them. I want more support for Padme. I mean, clearly, this is a much different situation, but still!
> 
> Then I go and ruin it by giving Bo-Katan and everyone else something new to have to deal with. Sorry, Bo. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think you could handle it.


	53. Resol'nare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of Lily's long awaited Resol'nare has arrived!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, playing fast and loose with Mandalorian culture and traditions again today! More notes on some of my thoughts and head canon at the end. Just FYI, I tried to make it clear that the ceremony was spoken in Mando'a without making it look weird and cumbersome, but, just for clarity's sake, when we get to "Who wishes to speak...." it's all in Mando'a until Obi-Wan speaks. I very briefly thought about translating it into actual Mando'a, but I only have so much free time!
> 
> As always, you all are the best and my favorites!!!

_ 19 BBY _

Lady Bo-Katan and her Death Watch had created a certain level of difficulty for getting into Sundari he hadn’t accounted for originally. It seemed these Mandalorians were getting more twitchy with every passing day. Their dear, darling pacifist Duchess seemed to be giving way on her ideals, making way for her violent sister and her minions. 

No matter. It was still far simpler than trying to get to Anakin Skywalker on Coruscant. Simpler, but far from easy, what with the full force of those damnable Protectors and their archaic slugthrowers and  _ beskads. _ He subconsciously rubbed at the constant dull ache of a scar those blasted slugs had left on him, all those years ago. __

And of course there was the boy’s father. And the younger, overly bold brother. And Skywalker himself. But he would take all of that over the risk of being on the same planet as his former master. These were challenges he could overcome. Minor inconveniences. 

And, soon, the great threat that was Anakin Skywalker would be gone, leaving a vacuum in his former master’s plans. A vacuum  _ he  _ could once again fill.

He closed his eyes, focusing himself, and waited.

* * *

  
  


“There’s nothing out here, boss. Just dust and blue skies as far as the eye can see.”

Bo-Katan felt she should be relieved. Nothing  _ was _ a good thing. But, as she stood on the edge of the docks looking out across the bleached plains, she couldn’t shake the niggling feeling that continued to set her on edge. “And you checked the canyons to the east?” she asked, knowing the answer already.

“Dust and rocks, boss. Dust and rocks. There’s no one within three hundred clicks of Sundari who isn’t supposed to be,” Greer came back, the roar of his  _ Kom’rk  _ fighter's engine droning in the background. 

“Alright. Good job, Greer. Go on up to the blockade.” Bo scrubbed her face in frustration. She clicked off her comm and could see Greer and his two wing fighters heading toward orbit off in the distance. As she watched their ascent, she wondered absently if she’d ever live to see the plains alive with waving grass, like the stories they had been told as children.

“Bo,” a gentle touch at her elbow broke her away from her thoughts. She turned to face Tol’ket. He smiled tightly, feeling the same unease she did. “We need to clear everyone out. The family is on their way. Anakin’s ship just came through the blockade.”

She gave him a quick, curt nod, and moved away, along the docks, barking at her people to finish up their tasks and make themselves scarce. 

Bo thought it was inane, but it had been Satine’s concession for letting Bo go entirely overboard (Satine’s words, not Bo’s) with security. If Death Watch was going to come to Sundari to protect against some vague threat, then it had to be done in such a way that Satine didn’t feel like she and her family were celebrating in the midst of a police state. She was barely tolerating Tol’ket’s paranoia and desire to humor Bo (again, Satine’s words) by upping the Protectors presence around the palace. 

Inane or not, Bo was making it work, and Death Watch moved off the main landing platform, spreading out into other sections of the docks to patrol, out of sight of the Duchess and her family as they approached in speeders, flanked by even more Protectors in speeders. She moved to greet them, trying to transition from  _ alor  _ of Death Watch into sister and  _ ba’vodu.  _ Not an easy thing to do, considering the level of her anxiety at the moment. 

Tol’ket came to take up his place by her side as the speeders came in. "Your  _ beskar'gam  _ looks nice. I meant to tell you that earlier," he said with a smirk. 

Bo glanced down at her new armor. She could still smell the fresh paint on its perfectly smooth beskar. She groaned. "I feel like an absolute child. You should throw me off the dock so I can dent it up properly."

He snorted. "I'll do no such thing." He watched as she squared her shoulders nervously and fussed with the new gauntlets. They fit perfectly, as they should, but her anxiety needed an outlet.

“Steady on, Bo,” he said quietly, leaning in close to her ear. “You’re as tight as the strings of a hallikset. Deep breath.”

As she caught the glint of the durachrome Nabooian cruiser making its landing approach, flanked by Fenn's  _ Kom'rk,  _ she did as he said, closing her eyes for a moment, and breathing deep, Obi-Wan’s silly sayings about releasing her emotions into the Force running through her head. 

“Good,” Tol’ket said, brushing a hand reassuringly across the small of her back. “You’ve got bigger things to worry about for now.”

She snorted a little derisive laugh at that. “I’m not sure about that.”

“Your niece is saying her  _ Resol’nare  _ this evening. Being with family is as important as protecting them.” He smiled at her as he watched Lily leap out of the speeder, Korkie on her heels. “So,  _ be  _ with them, Bo-Katan. Your people can handle it from here.”

She grinned at him. "Why do you have to be so karking wise all the time?" she asked before Lily's impact knocked the air out of her, nearly knocking her off her feet. Tol'ket, laughing, grabbed them both, righting them before they could tumble to the platform surface.

"Hells, Lily. Now you're just trying to knock me down," Bo said with a laugh, wrapping the girl in a hug.

Lily looked up innocently. "I'm just excited to see you!" she said, the devilish glint in her eye betraying her. Bo refrained from mentioning that she had had breakfast with the girl that morning. 

"She's made it her mission to take you down by surprise, Aunt Bo," Korkie said, approaching at a much more sedate pace, slinging an arm casually across Bo's shoulders. "I've told her she needs a better strategy."

"It would have worked that time if Tol'ket hadn't caught us," Lily said, glowering up at the big Protector.

"Apologies, Lady Lily. It  _ is _ my sworn duty to protect you," he said, with false solemnity. "That includes from your own self."

"Thank the stars for that," Satine said, as she and Obi-Wan approached, arm in arm. "I'd rather my daughter and sister not look like they'd been in a street fight for tonight's festivities."

Satine stopped in front of Bo as Obi-Wan pulled Tol’ket off to the side to discuss something about the evening’s events, and gave her an appraising once over. "Your armor looks  _ particularly _ good, Bo," she said, a note of suspicion in her voice.

Bo squirmed. She'd hoped no one would notice the fresh paint and dent free armor. “Fresh paint for the occasion,” she lied.

Satine quirked one of her elegant eyebrows at her and brushed her fingers across a rough rendition of Obi-Wan's crossed saber sigil painted over Bo's heart. Bo had painted the same over Tol’ket’s heart just the day before, and she knew many of her Death Watch and the Protectors had their own version on various parts of their armor. Obi-Wan had amassed loyal  _ verda _ . "I especially like this," Satine said quietly, smiling her knowing little smile. 

Whatever quiet moment they were about to have was shattered by Anakin and Padme’s disembarking. Lily broke free of Bo, tackling her brother with a squeal, and Korkie joined her, both chattering incessantly at Anakin and Padme.

“You’re taller than me!” Padme exclaimed as she hugged Lily. “When did  _ that  _ happen?”

Lily pulled away, as if to make some smart comment, when a puzzled look crossed her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, her brow furrowed as if in deep thought. Then they popped open. “You’re  _ pregnant!” _

Anakin blanched. Satine grabbed Bo’s arm as if to steady herself. Padme laughed with delight. “I guess we don’t have to worry about stealing her thunder, Ani,” she said, hugging Lily again. “How could you tell?” she asked.

Lily looked indignant. She waved a hand around Padme’s belly. “I can  _ feel _ the baby.”

Bo swore under her breath. These kriffing  _ jetii  _ were so unnerving sometimes.

“What?  _ I  _ didn’t feel the baby and it’s  _ my  _ baby!” Anakin exclaimed, looking wounded.

Satine seemed to come to her senses, at least enough to sputter out a question. “So...so, it’s true?”

The couple nodded, smiling like tookas. “ _ Manda’ner,” _ Satine whispered, looking at Bo, eyes wide with shock. “I’m going to be a grandmother.” 

“Oh dear,” Obi-Wan breathed, having stepped back to the gathering just in time to hear Lily’s assessment of Padme. 

Satine gripped Bo’s arm harder. “Bo, I’m not even  _ forty  _ yet. How can I be a grandmother?”

Bo patted Satine’s hand and smirked at her. “You’ll figure it out. I’m sure.”

  
  


* * *

It was late afternoon, an hour before Lily would say her  _ Resol’nare.  _ Bo-Katan steeled herself before she knocked on Lily’s bedroom door. It slid open without preamble, and Bo entered to find Satine brushing Lily’s flaxen hair. Bo’s breath caught in her throat at the sight, memories of her sister and her doing the same for each other when they were Lily’s age rushing through her mind. 

“Hi, Ba’vodu,” Lily said, glancing up from polishing her new beskar chestplate, much like the ceremonial ones her brothers and father wore. Her eyes spied the crate Bo carried. “What’s that?”

Bo cleared her throat, catching Satine’s eye for a moment before looking back at Lily. “I brought you a gift.”

She sat the crate on the low bench at the end of Lily’s bed, and sat down, gesturing at the crate.

Satine pursed her lips. “Bo…” she said, her tone low. Bo waved her off, watching Lily approach the crate, her loose hair moving around her like a cloak. Her hand touched the crate, but before she opened it, she glanced back to Bo, who nodded for her to go ahead. Bo suspected Lily knew already what was inside.

Still, Lily’s gasp as she pushed open the lid, as if she’d had a holy epiphany, was worth the moment alone. “ _ Beskar’gam,”  _ she whispered.

“ _ Your beskar’gam,”  _ Bo corrected gently as she watched Lily pull the chestplate out, running her fingers over the delicate Mandalorian lily painted over the left breast.

“Bo-Katan,” Satine started again.

“Let her be, Satine,” Bo said in warning. “If she can’t have her own lightsaber, let her have this.”

Satine sat down heavily on the bench in front of Lily’s vanity and opened her mouth to say something. Then closed it. A first, Bo thought. Satine left without the words for an argument. “Where did the beskar come from?” she finally asked. Bo looked at her, cocking an eyebrow. Satine understood then, it was clear. “ _ Oh _ . Oh, Bo.”

Lily looked up from her fiddling with the closures on her vambraces- no weapons built in. The kid didn’t need to be anymore lethal just yet. “What? Where did it come from?”

Bo smiled softly. “It’s mine, Lily Bo.” Lily froze, staring at Bo. “It was mine, and before that, your grandmother’s.”

“Oh stars,” Lily breathed.

“It should fit you just right, but we can change anything about it that you want,” Bo explained, picking up a pauldron and running her fingers across the night owl sigil.

“Ok,” Lily said softly, still standing very still.

“Put the jumpsuit on. We will teach you the  _ haat'miit be beskar'gam.” _

The girl nodded, pulling the new dark grey jumpsuit out of the crate and stepped into her fresher.

“Bo-Katan, I really wish you had talked to me about this,” Satine said, standing and moving to pull a piece of the armor from the crate. “I really don’t want my thirteen year old daughter wearing armor.”

Bo rolled her eyes. “You wore it at thirteen. So did I. Why shouldn’t she?”

Satine sat down next to Bo, the piece of beskar still in her hands- the backplate, Bo realized. “Things are different now. I don’t want her to think she has to be a warrior. I don’t want her to be a warrior.”

“Things  _ are  _ different, Satine. And not at all how you want them to be, I’m afraid,” Bo said with a sigh. “Consider this another line of defense for her.” She pulled the backplate from Satine’s hands. “This beskar protected me when I needed it most to protect Lily. Now it will protect her.” 

Satine’s breath hitched for a moment, then she cleared her throat. “I know you do mean that, but I also know you are just encouraging her desire to be like you.” It was said with humor and Bo turned to look at her sister. She was smiling at Bo.

Bo smiled back. “Possibly.”

Satine snorted an undignified laugh as Lily came out of the fresher in her jumpsuit. “Ok. What’s the  _ haat'miit be beskar'gam?” _

* * *

  
  


An hour later, Bo stood beside Lily in the throne room, in front of Satine and Obi-Wan, a small knot of family and friends gathered around at their backs. Lily had grown increasingly quiet since donning her new  _ beskar’gam,  _ and now practically vibrated with nerves next to Bo. Bo squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

“Who wishes to speak the Creed of the Mando’ade?” Satine asked, reciting the Mando’a lines of the ancient ritual.

“I, Lily Bo Kryze-Kenobi of Clan Kryze, House Kryze, wish to speak the Creed of the Mando’ade,” Lily responded in customary fashion.

“And who will sponsor the one who wishes to speak the Creed of the Mando’ade?” 

There had been some debate over this question. Obi-Wan, it seemed, had sponsored both the boys, but Lily had asked for Bo to stand with her. Obi-Wan had been a little hurt, but, really, it made sense. He  _ was _ Mand’alor. He should hear the Creed like Satine. This was the Way, after all.

“I, Bo-Katan Kryze of Clan Kryze, House Kryze, sponsor the one who wishes to speak the Creed of the Mando’ade,” Bo recited the ancient line.

“Lily Bo Kryze-Kenobi of Clan Kryze, House Kryze, speak your Creed,” Satine said, looking squarely at Lily, her lips turning up ever so slightly.

Lily took a deep breath, and with a clear, steady voice, spoke the ancient  _ Resol’nare. “Ke’juri beskar’gam. Ke’jorhaa’i Mando’a. K’ara’novo aliit. Ke’gaa’tayli aliit bralir. Ke’ba’juri sa Mando’ade. Ke’shekemi haar Mand’alor.”  _ She breathed out, casting her eyes down for a moment, Bo catching a hint of a relieved smile, before she schooled her face into a stern mask, and looked back up at Satine.

“Lily Bo Kryze-Kenobi of Clan Kryze, House Kryze, your heart now pumps the blood of the Mando’ade. Go forth and honor your clan and your people,” Satine said, and, just for a second, Bo saw her calm facade broke, her breath catching just a bit in her throat. She stepped ever so slightly back, allowing Obi-Wan to face Lily.

He smiled at Lily. “Lily Bo, along with the dedication you have put into becoming Mando’ad, you have also shown mastery over your body, mind, and spirit,” he said in Basic. “As a student of the Force, you have proven yourself ready for the honor and responsibility of carrying a lightsaber.” He stepped down to her, and offered her the hilt of his lightsaber, the same one he had bested Pre with, over a year earlier. “May this tool aid you in defending the defenseless and protect you from harm.” Lily wrapped her right hand around the hilt with confidence. “Well done, Lily. I am proud of you,” he said quietly, so only Lily and Bo could hear. Then, releasing the lightsaber, he straightened, through his hands in the air, and shouted. “Oya!” 

The audience responded and cheered as he wrapped Lily in a tight hug before passing her to Satine who did the same. In a second, Lily was swallowed by her siblings and friends, even Ursa and Alrich both giving her ferocious hugs . 

Bo stood back. She’d had her moments with Lily before all this. She’d have more in the days and years to come. Let everyone else get their time in. Satine came up from behind her, hooking her arm through Bo’s. “I was mad about the  _ beskar’gam,  _ but my heart nearly stopped watching her say the  _ Resol’nare  _ in it, knowing it’s history.” She gave Bo’s arm a squeeze. “Thank you, Bo.”

Bo hummed a response. Then, smiling wickedly, she turned to look at Satine. “My pleasure... _ ba’buir.”  _

“Oh stars...I’d almost forgotten.  _ Haar’chak!  _ I am too young for this!”

Bo cackled, and pulled Satine down the steps of the dais. “ _ Tihaar.  _ This whole thing,” she waved her hand around at the all encompassing  _ thing  _ that was this day, “needs copious amounts of  _ tihaar.” _

* * *

It wasn’t a Death Watch party. In part because it was in honor of a thirteen year old girl, and there was only so much debauchery appropriate for a party thrown for a thirteen year old girl. But there was still a very Mando’ade feel to it, and the  _ tihaar  _ and wine certainly flowed freely through the adults. Lily was holding court among her school friends, who all seemed to be entranced by Lily’s armor. A small crowd had gathered around the portrait of Lily Alrich had painted, and he seemed to be holding court of his own, Satine and Obi-Wan included in it. Bo smiled at the scene before stepping out on a balcony overlooking Sundari, finding herself in need of a little quiet after a long day.

“Aren’t you glad you stopped worrying about other things, like I told you, Bo?”

Tol’ket stepped beside her at the railing, a fresh bottle of  _ tihaar  _ and two glasses in his hands. “Some may even say I’m wise,” he added, handing her a glass and offering her his crooked smile. 

Bo turned to face him, resting her hip against the railing. “Some may actually say that, you’re right,” she said with a smirk, clinking her glass to his. 

Tol’ket’s smile broadened as he took a sip of his  _ tihaar.  _ “You two made quite the sight up there tonight.” He tipped his head a bit closer to Bo’s, closing the distance between them. “I suspect there may be a painting in the works. Two generations of glorious Mando’ade women. Old Alrich will probably title it  _ Kote be Dalase,  _ or something as grand and appropriate as that.”

Bo huffed a laugh. “ _ Glorious,”  _ she scoffed _. “ _ You’re so full of shit, Tol’ket.”

“Hmm...I am, but not about that.” He turned to face her squarely, and reached for her hand resting on the railing. Her hand met his, lacing their fingers together.

“So, you’re not full of shit when you say I’m glorious?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head no, his eyes flicking from her eyes to her lips and back up again. “Tell me what else you aren’t full of shit about,” she said, sounding breathier than she intended.

He shuffled closer, running the knuckles of his free hand down her arm before catching the fingers of that hand, as well. “Oh, well, do you have some time? Because I cou-”

Bo and Tol’ket’s commlinks simultaneously blared to life. They broke apart, Bo was sure she heard a string of curses under Tol’ket’s breath before he answered his comm. She could understand that sentiment, she thought with a sigh as she answered her own comm.

“What?” she growled.

“There’s trouble, boss! They were in shipping containers!” She heard shots fired in the background, shouting and commands.

“What?  _ Who  _ was in shipping containers?”

“Black Sun, Pykes, hell, maybe even pirates!” the voice shouted back. She was trying to place the voice. “They’re everywhere!” She could hear distant booms, and, looking toward the direction of the docks, she saw great glowing plumes of smoke. She swatted Tol’ket, who was having his own frantic conversation, and pointed. He looked where she pointed then swore loudly and grandly.

“Contain them as best you can!” she shouted to the voice, Muri, she thought. “I’m calling Greer-”

The palace shook with an explosion, the glass of the walls rattling in their frames. She watched in horror as a great fireball rose practically from under the balcony.

“Go, Bo-Katan!” Tol’ket shouted, diving to shove her roughly through the open doors as another explosion thundered from below, incinerating the balcony, and raining glass down around them. Tol’ket threw his arms over both their heads until the last of the wall fell. Shouts filled the room as Protectors moved into action, herding everyone deeper into the palace. Tol’ket rolled off of Bo, and sat up, helped her sit up.

“Looks like your man’s intel was better than we suspected,” he said with a grunt, brushing glass shards from his hair.

Bo glared at him as her commlink continued to scream. As Ursa, Obi-Wan, and the boys ran toward them-  _ of course  _ they'd run  _ toward  _ the explosion. “Fantastic," she replied, voice thick with sarcasm.

  
She climbed to her feet, pulling him up with her, and looked out where there once had been a wall. Sundari was under attack. But  _ why? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My deep thoughts on the Resol'nare (this isn't a joke....I've thought a lot about the Resol'nare over the last week or so):  
> I actually did some digging around, looking for inspiration in coming of age practices around the world for this, since Bo had told Lily the Kryze family makes a big deal of the Resol'nare. Honestly, there's some cool stuff out there (and some absolute BONKERS stuff), but a lot revolved around hunting or feats of strength, and, well, Mandalorian culture basically is full time feats of strength, just in their daily lives. But some of their most human moments revolve around saying a simple oath. This ends up making it feel, to me, more like a bar/bat mitzvah or a First Communion than some grand physical display.
> 
> So, I came up with the idea that someone would "sponsor" the person saying the creed, as a way of certifying that, yes, what they say is true. They are capable of meeting these ideals. And they do it, preferably, before someone higher ranking or an elder (but it doesn't HAVE to be that. Like Bo told Lily, she could have said it with Tol'ket and Bo....one could have sponsored her and one could have heard her. Mandos are nothing if not flexible when it comes to greatly important moments in their lives). The Kryzes like dramatics, so they like to make it an event and a party, but, like marriage, it can be done quickly and simply in the middle of a war zone.
> 
> It was harder coming up with something about the lightsaber because I don't think there's really much ceremony to that for Jedi (hell, the kids in the Gathering arc of TCW make their lightsabers on a ship with a droid and an older padawan). But, again, Clan Kryze and their dramatics, Obi-Wan has to say something pretty. 
> 
> One more head canony thing: we know Mandos decorate and customize their armor, often showing their allegiance to a cause or their leader. No one is as ostentatious as those lunatics who sided with Maul, but I love the idea that Death Watch and Protectors started painting the crossed sabers on their armor in honor of their Mand'alor. 
> 
> And, OF COURSE Lily figures out Padme's pregnant. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> alor- leader, boss  
> verda- warriors  
> Here is the translation of the Resol'nare, as I found it-  
> "Ke’juri beskar’gam." Wear armor.  
> "Ke’jorhaa’i Mando’a." Speak Mando'a  
> "K’ara’novo aliit." Defend the family.  
> "Ke’gaa’tayli aliit bralir." Help the clan to succeed.  
> "Ke’ba’juri sa Mando’ade." Raise children as Mandalorians.   
> "Ke’shekemi haar Mand’alor." Rally to the cause of the Mand'alor."  
> (I have a feeling this is a rough translation and that it's actually prettier than this, but we get the picture).  
> "Kote be Dalase" Glory of Women.
> 
> Yes, I stole another moment from Bo and Tol'ket. Fight me. I have a plan, and I am not deviating from it. You'll thank me....eventually.


	54. Darjetii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To no one's surprise, all hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blergh. This chapter was a beast. With the holiday and such, writing time was limited this week, which made knocking this chapter loose difficult. Writing 500 words at a time when able doesn't help settle into a narrative flow. At all.
> 
> Editing may or may not be wonky. I feel like I've read and re-read this so much as I've stop-started my way through it that I probably have left in GLARING mistakes.
> 
> But it's finally done and we'll just be happy it's here!
> 
> Thanks, as always! You all make me happy. Kudos, hits, comments. They're all so great. I can't believe you've stuck it out!

_ 19 BBY _

It was amazing how fast time moved.

Satine had that thought as she watched Lily, looking fiercely, beautifully Mandalorian in her new  _ beskar’gam, _ recite the ancient Mando'a creed, declaring herself a true Mando’ad. It had seemed like mere moments before when Satine had cradled Lily as a tiny baby with a glass rattling cry. It had only been a blink of an eye since she'd watched little Lily, discovering the world, toddling at the heels of her big brothers. And now she was just shy of a woman, tall for her age, just like Satine had been, and ready to take on all comers. Time moved too fast.

Now, at the party, Satine’s mind was wandering, losing interest in the group discussion about the philosophical and artistic differences between the old Mandalorian masters. She loved art as much as the next Mando’ad, but her mind was taking on a cheerfully hazy state after a few  _ tihaar  _ toasts, and keeping up with the conversation was becoming just a bit of a struggle.

Instead, her eyes wandered around the room, enjoying the fact that her family was together, and happy. Lily sat talking animatedly with her school friends. Anakin and Padme, whether roped in unwittingly or voluntarily, were busily entertaining baby Sabine, fast becoming a toddler instead of a baby. Good practice for their child that she knew from her own experience would be here before they knew it. Her eyes found Korkie, having an intense conversation with his Protector, Aled. She absently wondered if she should bring up to Tol’ket the young man’s chumminess with Korkie, or if it really mattered.

Her eyes roamed at the thought of Tol’ket, and then she smirked to herself when she found him. It probably wasn’t fair to point out the overt friendliness between Korkie and Aled when she saw Aled’s captain, standing almost scandalously close to her sister _._ Holding her hand, and smiling at her as she said something to him. It was...sweet. His clear affection for Bo. And Bo seemed so relaxed in his presence, which made Satine say a little prayer of thanks. Bo needed good things in her life. Satine wondered how she had been so dense to miss some budding relationship between the two. Obi-Wan had made offhanded comments about them over the past months, but this was the first blatant display she had ever seen.

She glanced away for a moment, in an attempt to maybe catch Ursa’s eye and get her thoughts on the matter, when, for the second time that night, she thought how fast time moved.

One heartbeat she’s wondering if her sister was in some sort of affair with the captain of the Royal House Guard and Protectors, and the next heartbeat the palace was shaken to its foundations by two monstrous blasts. Satine watched in shock as the balcony where Bo-Katan and Tol’ket had been standing went up in flames and billows of smoke, the art glass wall shattering to pieces. 

“Bo-Katan!” Satine cried out as horror and panic ripped through her. Protectors pushed her and the guests out of the room, away from the smoke and falling glass. Her hand reached out and grabbed the first piece of beskar she could reach, which happened to be Fenn Rau’s gauntlet. She yanked him to her. “Rau,  _ get Bo-Katan.” _

He gently pried her hand away as he continued to herd everyone deeper into the palace. “We have to get you safe, Duchess,” he said calmly. “She wasn’t alone.”

“Rau, so help me, if I lose her again-”

“I  _ know,  _ your grace,” he said firmly, a flicker of grief crossing his face as he pushed her through a door. They were in the state dining room, she realized, as she glanced around at a touch to her elbow. It was Lily. “Stay here and I’ll go back for them both,” Rau was saying.

She nodded as she wrapped an arm around Lily’s shoulders. Rau spun on his heel, just as Obi-Wan pushed into the room, flanked by the boys and Ursa, Bo and Tol’ket right behind them. Satine nearly crumpled with relief. “Oh, thank the stars,” she breathed, pushing her way to Bo and dragging her into a hug. “I thought I lost you again.”

Bo wrapped her arms around her, hugging her back. “I don’t plan on going anywhere,” Bo said softly in her ear before pulling away from the embrace. “The city is under attack,” she said louder, so the whole gathered crowd could hear. “Several crime syndicates have attacked the docks, and seem to be pushing quickly into the city.”

Anakin ripped his lightsaber from his belt, and turned to head back out the door. “Why are we standing around then? Let’s go!” There were quite a few noises of agreement in the room as blasters were pulled from holsters and bodies moved toward the door.

“Everyone just calm down!” Bo shouted. The room went deadly still. Satine smirked. Bo certainly knew how to command a room. “We don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know where they are. We need to  _ think  _ before we act. We can’t go off half cocked.” She shot a withering look at Anakin who managed to look sufficiently chastened. Satine had the strange, ill timed thought that she wished Bo had been around when the boys were young. Anakin seemed to  _ listen  _ to her.

“Bo-Katan is right,” Obi-Wan said, stepping next to Bo. “We need a better assessment as to what we’re up against and  _ why.” _

“Here.” Tol’ket pushed his way to Bo and Obi-Wan. “The chief of police just sent me this.” He activated a holographic layout of Sundari, a dozen or so bright red blinking dots scattered around the city. “This is where they have struck so far. It all appears random.”

Bo hummed as she studied the map. Obi-Wan crossed his arms at his chest, rubbing his chin in thought. “Bo-Katan, send your people out into the city, prioritize wherever there are civilians in danger.” Bo nodded, stepping back to speak into her commlink. “Tol’ket, let the chief know Death Watch is moving into the city to provide aid. I want the police to contain, if possible, and not engage. Let Death Watch do that. That’s why we have them.”

“Yes, Mand’alor,” Tol’ket said before speaking hurriedly into his own commlink.

Satine sat heavily in a chair. Obi-Wan in his  _ beskar’gam  _ was a magnificent sight, but seeing him so easily step into the role shook her. His features were hard and stern, and the way everyone he addressed leapt into action...it was unnerving. What had happened to her kind, gentle, good natured husband?

“Mum?” Satine hadn’t noticed Lily come back to her side. She looked up, offered the girl a tight smile. “Are you alright, Mum?”

Satine squeezed Lily’s hand. It felt strange, gloved and armored across the back with beskar. “I’m alright, little love. I’m just sorry this is how your special day is going.”

Lily squeezed her hand back. “It’s ok, Mum. It’s kind of exciting.”

Satine couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh stars, Lily. As if there was ever any doubt that you are Mando’ad.”

“Alright!” Obi-Wan’s raised voice brought Satine’s attention back to him. “Protectors, we need to move the Duchess, Lily, Padme, and the rest of the guests into the bunker.”

“What about you, Obi-Wan?” Satine asked, standing, still holding Lily’s hand. 

He stepped around everyone to her, smiling gently as he brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. “A Mand’alor can’t lead from a bunker, my darling.”

Satine swore under her breath at his foolishness, just as Tol’ket’s comm blared to life. “Captain! Captain! He’s here!”

A perplexed set of glances was exchanged between Tol’ket, Obi-Wan, and Bo. “Who’s here?”

“That Zabrak bastard! In the palace! There’s two-” the Protector was cut short by a scream before the commlink went quiet.

“Sithspit,” Anakin and Korkie hissed in unison, pulling their lightsabers free of their belts.

“Go. Now, all of you!” Tol’ket growled at his Protectors. “ _ Beskads _ and slugthrowers at the ready.”

A flurry of panicked activity broke out in the room as Protectors gathered children and guests. Ursa ran into the fray, kissing Sabine, held tightly in her father’s arms, and then Alrich. She pressed one of her blasters into his hand. “ _ K’oyacyi _ ,” Satine heard him whisper as they pressed their foreheads together. They broke apart and he moved toward the door, helping herd Lily’s schoolmates with the Protectors. 

Padme ran to Anakin, kissing him fiercely. “Be careful,” she said. He nodded as he watched her produce a blaster hidden in the skirt of her dress. Padme never ceased to surprise Satine.

“Don’t be a hero, Padme. Stay safe,” Anakin growled as she moved toward the door. She rested a hand instinctively over her still flat belly, and nodded.

Satine went to pull Lily along with her, as a Protector gently grasped her elbow, but the girl dug her heels in. “I want to stay!”

“You absolutely are _ not  _ staying, Lily,” Obi-Wan growled, pushing her toward the door.

“But I can help!” she protested. The Protector, understanding the urgency in the situation, grabbed Lily by the arm, less than gently tugging her along. In normal circumstances, Satine would have his head for manhandling her daughter, but in this moment she was grateful.

“You can help by going _ ,  _ Lily Bo,” Bo said as she pulled her helmet on. 

“Aunt Bo, I don’t even have a blaster!”

Satine started to point out, as she dragged Lily with the Protector, that she didn’t need a gun, but something snapped in Bo’s posture and spurred her into action. She pulled out one of her guns, the slugthrower, checked the safety, and pressed it into Lily’s hand. 

“Be careful. Now  _ go,  _ Lily,” she said.

Before Satine could protest giving her child not only a weapon, but a slugthrower, she was out the door, pulled along by the Protector to catch up with the rest of the group headed toward the bunker deep below the palace. Lily ran alongside her, calmly checking the rounds in the gun Bo had handed her.

“Do you know how to use that, Lily?” Satine asked. She had not taught her to fire a slugthrower, only blasters, but she would not be surprised if the girl had brow beaten someone into teaching her how to handle the tricky weapon.

“Yeah, Aunt Bo taught me.”

Satine sighed. “Of course she did.” She pulled out her own small blaster she so very rarely fired. “Well, let’s hope you won’t have the opportunity to show me just what you learned, alright, little love?”

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan looked at those remaining with him- his sons, Bo-Katan and Ursa, and the three Protectors; Tol’ket, Rau, and young Aled. He took a calming, centering breath. He’d prefer none of them would have to go up against whatever was heading for them, but, save for young Aled, they were possibly the most capable warriors on the planet. And, in Aled’s case, what he lacked in experience, he made up for in bravery.

“You two,” he pointed to Rau and Aled. “You’ve yet to have the pleasure of dealing with our friend Maul. He is vicious and cunning and not an easy opponent. Be ready.” He looked at the greater group. “All of you are to back the boys and I up. Do not engage him if you can at all avoid it.” He glanced at their weapons, most already at the ready. Ursa was the only one ill suited for what was to come. He pulled out his own slugthrower. “Ursa, I believe it is safe to assume you know how to use this.”

He didn’t need to see her eyes behind the visor of her helmet to know she gave him a brutal look as she nodded stiffly. 

“Right. Let’s move.”

They didn’t have to move far before they found crumpled bodies of Protectors in the corridors. Tol’ket let loose a string of expletives as he reached to take the pulse of one young woman,  _ beskad  _ still in her hand, only to see the tell tale signs of strangulation by way of the Force. 

It was easy enough from there to track Maul. He left a trail of Protectors in his wake, and an old, familiar chill settled around Obi-Wan, like a weight on his very soul. They rounded a corner and there he was waiting, hands clasped behind his back, a hulking Zabrak with gold and black tattoos looming behind him.

“Kenobi,” Maul purred in greeting.

“Maul, if we’d known you were coming, we would have had a more hospitable welcome committee waiting for you and you, uh, friend,” Obi-Wan said, his vambraces clinking against his chestplate as he crossed his arms.

Maul’s lip curled. “My apprentice, Savage.” His golden eyes raked over Obi-Wan’s body, taking in the beskar. “I see you’ve fully assimilated, finally.”

Obi-Wan ignored him. “Why are you here, Maul?”

Maul chuckled, then his eyes moved behind Obi-Wan, landing on Bo-Katan. “You were right to find Saxon and his men useless, Lady Bo-Katan. They proved as useless and feral for me as they were for you. I should have left them in your cells. My apologies for leaving you that mess to clean up. They couldn’t manage one simple task.” His eyes moved again, falling on Anakin. “To kill Anakin Skywalker.”

Anakin stiffened before stepping up beside Obi-Wan. “What? What the hell did I do to you?”

“My master cast me aside in favor of you. You will fall to the dark and bring destruction upon us all as my master’s new apprentice. I have foreseen it,” Maul spat out. “Best for all of us to kill you now and be done with it.”

Anakin took a breath to retort, but Ursa jumped in. “Are we really just going to stand around and talk with this monster? Shall I put some tea on?” Obi-Wan heard a round chamber in her slugthrower. “Or can I just blast him?”

Without warning, Savage, the mountain of a Zabrak standing behind Maul, lifted his meaty hand. Ursa was ripped off her feet by an invisible force, and, with a flick of Savage’s wrist, she was flung into the glass wall, landing in a crumpled heap of limbs and beskar, the glass spider webbing at the impact.

“Ursa!” Bo cried out, rushing to kneel next to the fallen woman. Tol’ket moved to stand protectively over the two women,  _ beskad  _ at the ready, slugthrower aimed at the Zabraks. Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw Bo thread her fingers under the collar of Ursa’s jumpsuit, looking for a pulse. “ _ Vor entye,”  _ she half sobbed out in relief. 

“Pity,” Maul said, glancing over at the women as Bo shifted Ursa down flat on the floor, taking the slugthrower and turning, aiming it at the Zabraks from where she kneeled. “Save the rest of your people the pain, their deaths, Anakin. Face me.”

Anakin ignited his lightsaber and stepped fully in front of Obi-Wan. “I am  _ not  _ turning to the dark side. You don’t even know me.” He sunk into ready position, muscles bunching in anticipation. “But you’re threatening my family, and I will not stand for that.”

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan said softly. Anakin only shook his head. Korkie stepped in front of Obi-Wan, igniting his saber. 

“Nor will I,” Korkie growled, settling into his ready position beside Anakin.

Obi-Wan ignited the dark saber and stepped between the boys. “This won’t end well for you, Maul,” he said, keeping his voice level. “Go now, take your people, and go. Let us be.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be happening, Kenobi,” Maul said, his voice dark and deep. He finally moved, pulling his saber loose, and igniting both ends, then coiled himself, like a viper ready to strike.

“ _ Manda’ner,”  _ Aled whispered from behind.

“Steady, boy,” Rau growled back.

“Take care of the Protectors and Lady Bo-Katan,” Maul said over his shoulder to the gold and black hulk of a Zabrak. Savage grinned, a nasty, wicked looking expression, then ignited his own blades. 

With that, they pounced, and the hall was suddenly a blaze with dazzling, swirling blades. The sound was deafening. The corridor, while wide for normal use, was far too cramped and tight for this type of fighting. But the Force flowed through Obi-Wan and his sons, and they moved seamlessly, avoiding striking each other in the claustrophobic space while still deflecting and countering each of Maul’s vicious blows. 

Obi-Wan knew from experience that Maul was an aggressive and physical fighter. Had he the time to appreciate his skill, he would say he was remarkably graceful, despite the utter brutality he put into each powerful strike. However, the cramped quarters limited his movements, and his aggression hindered him. Obi-Wan used it to his advantage, moving deliberately and with economy. The boys quickly followed suit, beating Maul back down the hall with small but fluid parries and cuts. Obi-Wan could sense the frustration building in the man, unable as he was to fight in the style he preferred. If they could keep him contained to the halls, they may just wear him down.

Obi-Wan could only hope, as he settled into the Force around him and fought for his family.

* * *

For a giant beast, the Zabrak called Savage moved with stupendous speed, and it was only Tol’ket’s formidable prowess with his blade that kept he and Bo from being cleaved in two with his first blow. The screech of lightsaber against beskar made Bo’s ears ring as she tried to line up a decent shot with the slugthrower she’d pulled from Ursa’s hand. But it was impossible, kneeling as she was behind Tol’ket. She had precious few rounds and the tight space meant she had to be  _ sure  _ her aim was true.

She hated the damn finicky things. 

Rau and the young Protector, Aled, rushed in to aid Tol’ket, who was valiantly trying to press the beast back away from Ursa’s prone body. “Get her out of here, Bo,” Rau growled as he swung hard toward the Zabrak’s middle, only to have his  _ beskad  _ blocked with a howling screech from Savage’s lightsaber.

Bo, sure there was enough coverage for a moment, clicked the safety on the gun and moved to grab Ursa by the armpits. But just as she went to pull her away, Ursa came to with ferocious suddenness and sat bolt upright with a shout. “What the hell?”

“ _ Haar’chak,  _ Ursa! Come on, can you stand? We need to get you out of here!” Bo tugged at her friend’s arms, trying to pull her upright.

The smaller woman swatted her away, climbing unsteadily to her feet. “Like hell we do. Where the hell is my gun?”

Ursa was a surly drunk, Bo knew from years of experience, and apparently she was surly when concussed, as well. “I have it. Come on, you’ve been out cold.”

Ursa ignored her, ripped the gun from Bo’s hand, clicked the safety off, aimed, and fired. It happened so fast, Bo couldn’t even react. Her aim was decent, despite swaying on her feet, and she struck the giant gold and black menace in the meat of his shoulder. He howled in pain and rage. He swung around to move on Ursa, but Rau was there to beat him back.

“Shit,” Bo breathed.

“Bastard deserved it.” Then she leaned heavily against the wall. “Go help the boys. I’ll do what I can to cover you.”

“Ursa…” Bo chided.

“Fucking go, Bo-Katan! I’m  _ fine.” _

She was so very clearly  _ not  _ fine, but Bo knew better than to fight with her about it. With one last look at Ursa, Bo jumped into the fray. 

The first strike she blocked from Savage nearly took Bo’s breath away. The beast was nothing but sheer, raw power and was handling the four of them like a tooka playing with its latest catch. They were  _ nothing  _ to him. 

Despite being outnumbered, he was always there to block their cuts and jabs. Even with the bleeding wound on his shoulder, he seemed everywhere at once, a whirling cloud of bright red light and anger. As she blocked a blow, sending his blade of light skittering off her blade to smash into her pauldron then sear her arm, she understood just why Obi-Wan had put so much emphasis on his Protectors being so good with their blades. These  _ darjetii  _ were monsters.

“He’s  _ toying  _ with us,” Tol’ket growled, as he blocked a blow that would have had his head. “We need to pull him away-” He grunted as Savage bound his blade, pressing down hard, the lightsaber howling against the beskar. Bo swung wildly while the Zabrak was occupied, landing a slicing strike to his ribs, the razor sharp edge cutting easily through leather and flesh. He roared, pushing Tol’ket away like a ragdoll to spin on Bo.

He went after Bo viciously as the wound on his side wept blood. She dug deep, blocking each hammering blow on sheer grit to survive. She didn’t have time to counter, she just defended, and tried to draw him down the hall, assuming the “away” Tol’ket meant was away from Obi-Wan. He didn’t want Obi-Wan and the boys trapped between these two monsters.

A low blow from his lightsaber caught her in the hip. The pain fueled her and she roared, landing a powerful kick into his midsection that he clearly hadn’t anticipated. He was an immovable force, though, and the kick only served to propel herself back, flipping out of his reach. She rolled up and activated her flame thrower. Enough with this dueling blades nonsense. She doused him with flames, at the very least blinding him for a moment, and shot at him with her blaster. The animal, even with a face full of fire, blocked it, sending it right back to her. She managed to duck and roll away just in time.

A shot fired, aim true again, and hit him in the chest. He spun away at the impact, only to be met by an onslaught of clashing beskar from the Protectors. He met them, each blow, but now he was faltering.

“You’re welcome,” Ursa called from where she was propped up against the wall, slugthrower in hand.

“How are you even seeing straight?” Bo muttered as she turned back to the fight.

It was too tight in here. They only had one option here in the corridor- to face him head on, blade to blade- and while they were surviving, it was only just. Bo was afraid if he  _ actually  _ let loose with the same power he had tossed Ursa around with, they would all be dead. He needed to be drawn into the open, where they could use more of their skills and weaponry. 

Bo looked around. Where the hell were they, anyway?

Before she could formulate any plan, the thrum and hiss of lightsabers against lightsabers came closer again, and relief swept over her when she saw Obi-Wan and both boys still fighting Maul with the grace and power she expected of them.

Then Maul shouted over the chaos. “Savage! Leave them. Go find the Duchess!”

Bo’s blood ran cold. 

She swung wildly at Savage, hoping she could land a blow to slow him. Instead, she found herself thrown against the glass wall, glass cracking on impact like it had with Ursa, but this time an invisible force  _ held  _ her. She fought against her panic, and saw all three of the Protectors plastered to the walls, as well as Ursa. She was helpless to do anything, an unseen weight holding her tight against the wall, pinning her limbs, the very tips of her fingers, tight, the only thing she could move were her eyes, and they watched as Savage took off down the corridor. Off to find Satine, and Lily. 

_ No. _

  
They were held there for seconds or minutes, she wasn’t sure, and then they all dropped at once. Bo didn’t think. She picked herself up and  _ ran. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No spoilers here, but I was grateful, in a way, for the struggle with this one, because Chapter 13 in the Mandalorian fleshed out some sensory things for me like never before. I won't get into it, but if you've seen it, you probably know what I'm talking about. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day! Not really vocab, but context!  
> K'oyacyi- This has mostly been used as a cheer or toast until now, but Alrich says it in its literal sense- come back safely. Stay alive. Seems an appropriate thing to say to your spouse as they run head long into battle.  
> Vor entye- this is me playing fast and loose with Mando'a to fit my narrative, but since Mandalorians don't really worship a god of any sort, they're unlikely to say "thank god." There isn't even a word for god in the language as far as I can tell. So, using "vor entye" (which we have established in THIS story to be a very serious way of offering gratitude) is more or less a Mando way of saying "thank god." Maybe Bo muttered it as a prayer of thanks to the ancestors or the Force. Maybe she's just really glad she found a pulse. But it's a more serious way of saying "thank god," "thank the stars," etc.
> 
> Speaking of playing fast and loose with Mando'a (but, like, not actually), I have to give some serious credit where credit is due! Strawberriesinmoominvalley asked if they could take on the challenge of actually writing the "haat'miit be beskar'gam, and holy hell, did they NAIL IT. https://strawberriesinmoominvalley.tumblr.com/post/635891662035550208/haatmiit-be-beskargam
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you!!!! You all are the best! Anyone who has taken the time to open this silly story just means the world to me. We're closing in on the end...I estimate 6 to 10 more chapters (you're silly if you think I have this planned out to the exact chapter count). *weeps with joy and sadness*


	55. Be Brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is confronted by his worst fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for a brief, slightly gruesome description. 
> 
> As I pounded out the last of this chapter late last night, I was really certain it was going to come across as just demented rambling. I was shocked to find out, when I re-read it this morning, that it actually is somewhat coherent! Hopefully I caught the worst of the errors. Forgive me if I missed things.
> 
> To the readers who have been following along for awhile, I know you all are used to more frequent updates, and I apologize for my slowness! I think this is a subconscious response knowing that the end is nigh, and my brain just wants to give me more time with these characters.
> 
> Thanks, once again, for being awesome! Every read, every kudo, every comment means to world to me.

_ 19 BBY _

The bunker was vast; the size of the footprint of the palace itself. An underground man made cavern built beneath the palace after the civil war as a way to protect Satine and her family, cabinet members, palace staff. Essentially anyone who happened to be in the palace during an attack or disaster. In the nearly nineteen years since the end of that war, they had never had to use it. Well, there was that one night when it  _ should  _ have been used. Satine chuckled humorlessly to herself. Another party ruined by Maul.

The space was eerily quiet, particularly considering a dozen or so young teenagers were huddled together, not to mention a toddler, held tightly in her father’s arms. Everyone seemed subdued by their anxieties and fear.

“Any word from Tol’ket?” Satine asked the nearest Protector hovering around her. 

The woman shook her head. “No, your grace. Nothing yet.” Satine scowled. She did not like the silence.

Padme, sitting next to Satine, squeezed her hand, but said nothing. They exchanged weak, tight smiles, both failing at reassuring one another. Satine wondered if Padme would prefer to be out there, fighting alongside her husband. The diminutive woman was a woman of action, and seemingly fearless. Hiding underground wasn’t her style. Satine wasn’t sure it was hers, either.

Satine turned to study Lily, who had grown strangely still and quiet since the thick durasteel blast door had been sealed. She stood apart from everyone, occasionally closing her eyes for long moments at a time. She seemed to hold a bottled energy in her muscles. Tension, but not like the tension Satine felt, or anyone else. She looked ready to spring gracefully into action, but with a very un-Lily like calmness. It all seemed very familiar to Satine, yet she couldn’t quite place why. Then she realized-

Lily looked like her father.

Satine opened her mouth to say something to Lily, but the girl’s eyes snapped open in that moment. She lifted her head and stared at the door. “He’s coming,” she said. She pulled her newly acquired lightsaber from her belt.

“Lily, who is coming?” Satine asked gently.

Lily looked over at her for a moment, then turned her attention back to the door. “No one good,” she said simply.

Satine shifted nervously. It was unlike Lily to be so oddly cryptic. Then again, these children of hers, with their abilities she didn’t understand, could all be very strange sometimes. Satine went with her gut and took Lily’s cryptic statement seriously.

Standing, she primed her blaster. She didn’t want to fight, but she was  _ tired  _ of this mad man's relentless campaign on her family. She’d fight to be rid of him, if it came down to that. 

“Protectors,” she called, motioning toward the door, “be at the ready.” Padme silently followed Satine’s lead, while Protectors moved to the front of the room, forming a barrier between the door and everyone else.

“Your grace, no one is getting through that door,” the Protector closest to her said quietly. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”

She turned to the young woman. She  _ was  _ young. ”Isabet, correct?”

“Yes, your grace.”

Satine nodded. “Isabet, you’ve been a Protector how long?”

“Three years, Duchess,” the woman said, fidgeting slightly under the sudden direct attention of her Duchess.

“Right, yes. You are far too young to have been here the last time Maul paid a visit to the palace.” Satine glanced back at Lily, who was arguing with a Protector about being forced  _ behind  _ them. She turned back to Isabet. “Did you go to Concordia last year when my sister briefly had Maul in custody?”

Isabet shook her head. “No, your grace. The captain felt I was too inexperienced. I...I heard about it, though.”

Satine smiled sadly. “Then you have a vague idea of what this  _ darjetii  _ is capable of.” The woman swallowed nervously. “We won’t underestimate him, Protector. Remember your training. Your captain and your Mand’alor have taught you well.”

Isabet nodded, then bowed slightly. “Yes, your grace.” She moved to join the other Protectors. Satine sighed. She very much wanted to believe they were all safe behind that blast door. But she wouldn’t, she couldn’t, count on it. She knew too much about Force users, in general, to know that one should  _ never  _ underestimate them. Particularly these Sith types.

Lily ignited her lightsaber, filling the room with the soft blue glow and low hum Satine was so intimately familiar with. “He’s here,” Lily said, readying herself. The Protectors glanced at her skeptically, then at each other, then leveled slugthrowers at the door.

In an instant, the sound of screeching, tearing metal resonated through the bunker. This is why you do not underestimate Force wielders, Satine thought.

“Alrich! Padme! Take the children further back into the bunker!” she shouted.

“Your grace, you should come, as well,” Alrich said, his voice level and calm.

The shriek of buckling metal made it hard to hear. Satine raised her voice to be heard. “No, Alrich, go. Now. This is about my family. Hide them!”

He nodded once, then looked at Padme. “I’m staying,” she said flatly. Satine started to protest, but Padme leveled her gaze at her. “I’m  _ staying,  _ Satine.” Right. Of course she would stay.

With one last look between the two women, Alrich nodded again, then turned, gathering Lily’s school friends to disappear back into the darker depths of the bunker where the stored goods were kept. 

It wasn’t a moment too soon. The blast door was ripped from the doorway, out into the corridor, and a giant gold and black Zabrack man entered, wielding a double bladed red lightsaber. This was  _ not  _ Maul.

Before the Protectors could act, he waved his hand through the air, and the Protectors were hurtled through the air by some unseen source, hitting the walls and clattering to the floor. “Duchess,” he growled, glaring at her, “you are to come with me.”

“Like hell she is!” Lily bellowed, rushing the giant, lightsaber whirling through the air for a decisive strike. 

He was far too fast, even for his massive size, and met her blade easily. He grinned maliciously. “Hello, little Jedi,” he purred. Satine’s blood ran cold at the sight. She should have made Lily go with Alrich, though she knew Lily would have fought that idea tooth and claw.

Lily roared, breaking free of the bind of their blades and spinning to take another swing at him. Again, he met her handily. “So fierce, little one. But I don’t have time to play.” He gestured with his hand, raising it, palm up, and Lily lifted off the ground, kicking wildly, her lightsaber clattering to the floor. Then he pulled her into his grasp. “I was sent for your mother, but I am sure my brother would appreciate you, as well.”

“Lily!” Satine screamed, firing her blaster at the beast. He deflected it with his blade, barely even acknowledging it. A Protector, pulling themself to their feet unsteadily, took aim, only for a simple gesture to have them thrashing and gasping for air. A second tiny gesture, and they went limp, crumpling to the floor. 

“Come, Duchess.”

Like a  _ jai’gaalar,  _ Bo-Katan came blasting into the bunker, her jetpack screaming,  _ beskad  _ raised. She hammered herself into the back of the beast and plunged the  _ beskad  _ savagely into his back.

He erupted in a ferocious howl, dropping Lily, who scrambled to her feet, called her lightsaber to her, and faced him, undeterred. The beast flailed, trying to shake Bo from his back. She would not be pried loose. Lily, seeing an opportunity, cut her blade up in an arc across his chest. She landed a hit, but, even with Bo clinging to him, trying to pull her  _ beskad  _ loose for another strike, he still swung his blade up, blocking her with so much force, he sent her stumbling back. 

“Lily Bo, let me handle him,” Bo growled, sounding nearly as surprised as Satine felt that the lethal looking blow hadn't even slowed the monster. She finally worked the blade free from the thick muscle of the Zabrak’s muscle, and went to take another strike, but before she could, he caught her arm and threw her to the side. Bo rolled on impact, scrambling to her feet, and made to charge him again. He responded with a growl, then kicked Lily roughly to the floor and leveled his blade to her face. 

“Continue, and I will kill the girl,” he said calmly. 

Bo froze. “She is just a child. Leave her be.”

From behind Bo, Tol’ket, Rau, Aled, and Ursa rushed through the destroyed door. Tol’ket leveled his slugthrower, but Bo, without turning, shouted. “Tol’ket! No! Stand down.” He hesitated. “Lower your gun, Tol’ket,” Bo said, quieter now, not even looking around.

“Bo…” 

“Do it.”

Tol’ket’s eyes flicked wildly around the room, taking in the situation; from Lily, to Bo, to Satine, then settled on Lily. He holstered the slugthrower. 

With a grunt, the beast leaned down and pulled Lily to her feet, holding her arm tightly in his giant hand. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt, held out a hand toward Satine, and she found herself dragged to him by the same strong, unseen force. She fought the urge to cry out as his hand closed tightly around her arm.

Padme suddenly jumped forward. “Take me instead of Lily!” Satine swore under her breath.

He swung his head around to glare at her. “What?” he growled.

“You’re here for Anakin, right? If you want to hurt Anakin, then take  _ me.  _ But leave Lily.”

Satine’s stomach roiled. “Padme, don’t do this.”

“He can’t take a  _ child,  _ Satine.”

“But, Padme-”

The beast growled in frustration. “Fine.” He flung Lily to the side and grabbed Padme roughly by the arm. Bo leapt forward and grabbed Lily, pushing her behind her.

“Tell your Protectors to stand down, Duchess,” he growled into Satine’s ear, shaking her roughly. Satine bit back a gasp of pain. His grip was like durasteel.

“Tol’ket, stand down, do as he says.” The look that crossed Tol’ket’s face was one of utter devastation, but he waved a hand at Rau and Aled, gestured at the few Protectors who had climbed unsteadily to their feet. They stepped back, following his example. Bo moved, keeping herself between the Zabrak and Lily. Satine offered Tol’ket a sad smile as the Zabrak moved her and Padme past him, toward the door. “It will be fine, Tol’ket. Be brave.”

As she was led out the door, she told herself that.  _ Be brave. _

* * *

  
  


Anakin had fought to remain focused on the battle when Maul had ordered the other Zabrak to go find the Duchess. Bo-Katan and the others had fled after him immediately. He had to trust they would keep his mother safe.

He just wished he knew why this lunatic was so set on him falling to the dark. It made no sense. Even with Dooku’s warnings and all the things Maul had said in the past, he was still no closer to knowing who this dark lord was they both spoke about. It didn’t make sense. Wouldn’t he  _ know  _ if he was being lured by a Sith Lord? 

Anakin was pulled back into the present, realizing he had been somehow fighting on instinct alone, when Maul’s commlink blared. “I have the Duchess,” he heard Savage growl. “And the senator,” the disembodied voice added.

“Good, apprentice. I will be there momentarily.”

Maul sneered as Anakin felt his world collapse around him. That beast had Padme. Padme...and his  _ child.  _ “Oh, that  _ fear,  _ Skywalker,” Maul purred as he parried a strike from Korkie, stepping back and lowering his weapon. He  _ knew  _ they wouldn’t strike. “That fear will fuel your anger.” The Zabrak took a deep breath, as if savoring a comforting scent. “Your anger will fuel your hatred.” He locked his gold eyes on Anakin’s. “You would be  _ so easy _ to turn. It’s of little wonder that my former master has been doggedly determined to worm his way into your mind.”

Maul disengaged his dual blades and bowed grandly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I must be off to have an audience with your duchess.” He straightened, raised his hands, and suddenly all three of them were tumbling backward, as if caught in a storm driven wave on an ocean. When Anakin was able to halt his tumble and scramble to his feet, disoriented, Maul had vanished.

“What the hell?” Korkie groaned, climbing to his feet beside Anakin.

Obi-Wan, already righted, had stepped to where Maul had been standing. He looked up. “Clever.” He pointed up. A ventilation grate had been removed. “The man is certainly slippery.”

“Mum and Padme are in their hands, and all you can do is comment on Maul’s escape tactics?” Anakin retrieved his lightsaber from where it had landed when he’d been knocked down. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t hang around and discuss his slipperiness.” He went to bolt down the hall, but his father clamped a hand on his elbow.

“Anakin, I need you to think clearly right now.” His voice was serious, grave even. “Far be it from me to agree with Maul, but you are blinded by your fear right now. Don’t let it cloud your judgement.  _ Think,  _ trust your instincts. He  _ wants  _ you to be fearful, angry.” Obi-Wan let his hand drop away, but held Anakin’s gaze. 

He shifted uneasily, fighting his desire to sprint headlong into whatever awaited him. To rush into saving his wife and unborn child. He glanced at Korkie, who offered him a sympathetic shrug, but otherwise seemed as level headed as always. How were they so calm? 

But, he gave himself a moment to actually listen to his father. He was right. He  _ was  _ running on fear. On the sheer outrage at this man’s continuing harassment of his family. That wasn’t going to keep Padme or the baby safe. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and did what he had been taught to do for years. He let go.

Anakin opened his eyes with a nod to his father and Korkie, and wordlessly, they slipped through the corridors of the palace, not really sure where to go, but followed the call of the Force.

That call led them to the throne room.

Maul sat on Satine’s throne, reclined and casual, Savage standing at his left hand. Padme and Satine were on their knees in front of Savage. Anakin’s stomach twisted at the sight, but he willed himself to be calm.

They weren’t alone. A knot of Protectors stood in the middle of the throne room, Bo-Katan at the head of them, Lily directly behind her, Tol’ket hovering over them both. Fenn Rau and Korkie’s lead Protector, Aled, flanked their captain, while several others, some looking quite beat up, stood back to back, eyeing up the throng of Black Sun and Pyke Syndicate operatives surrounding the tight knot of Protectors, blasters drawn and aimed.

“Ahh, gentlemen!” Maul called, waving them forward from where they had ground to a halt in the doorway. “Come in, come in.” He motioned to his army of criminals to make way for them, and they parted as they walked into the room, closing behind them as they went. 

As they passed the Protectors, Lily went to move toward them, but Tol’ket’s firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. “ _ Ke’mot, verd’ika,”  _ Anakin heard the big man growl at her. Anakin caught her eye- her lip was split and hair a mess- and offered her a gentle smile, trying to press calming energy at her through the Force. 

They came to a stop at the foot of the dais, Anakin and Korkie flanking their father. Padme looked at Anakin, and the look conveyed everything he needed. She was alright. They were both alright. She didn’t need to speak for him to hear her thoughts-  _ do not worry, Ani.  _

“Maul, whatever point you are trying to make, holding the Duchess and the senator hostage is not worth it,” Obi-Wan said, arms crossed at his beskar clad chest. “Let them go, and you will fare much better.”

“On the contrary, Kenobi,” Maul replied. “They are exactly what I need.” He rose, eyes turning to Anakin. “You have two options, Skywalker. Your death, or join me.”

Anakin barked a derisive laugh despite himself. “ _ What?  _ Join you? You  _ are  _ crazy, Maul.”

“Join me, and we can take down Lord Sidious together. We can save the galaxy, and bring peace to it,  _ together,”  _ Maul said, voice dark and low, his whole body tight with anxious tension.

Anakin shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t plan on dying today, and I don’t have any intentions to join you.” His hand twitched, wanting to take up his lightsaber, but he steadied himself. Waited.

“Perhaps you need incentive to join me, then,” Maul growled viciously, igniting his lightsaber and placing it at Padme’s throat. Savage mirrored him, holding his saber to his mother’s. Anakin’s breath caught in his throat. He could feel his father and siblings’ momentary fear wash over him like shockwaves in the Force.

“Don’t listen to him, Ani,” his mother said, her face hard but composed.

“Quiet,” Savage growled.

A strangled sob escaped from Lily, still sandwiched between Bo-Katan and Tol’ket, and Maul’s eyes landed on her, a corner of his mouth pulling up in a cruel grin. “Is this not enough incentive? Do you require more?”

Maul reached a hand forward, and in one swift movement, closed it into a fist and yanked, as if pulling on an invisible rope. Lily was ripped from her spot behind Bo, who grabbed at her with futility. Lily cried out in surprise, but, as Maul stopped her, suspended in the air in front of him, she didn’t waver. She held his gaze, the same hard, composed look on her face that their mother wore.

“Who shall I strike down first, Skywalker? Who will it take to trigger your anger?” He forced Lily to her knees beside Padme and stepped behind the three of them. “I think I know which one it will take, but maybe I have it wrong. Perhaps it would be your sister that would break you.” He pet Lily on the head, running a hand down her disheveled braid. Bo erupted in fury, and would have launched herself at the dais in that moment had Tol’ket not had the wherewithal to grab her, holding her tight, back pressed to his chest. Tol’ket whispered something in Bo’s ear, all while she glared at Maul. He gave her a longsuffering glance, but ignored her, moving to step past Padme to his mother.

“Or perhaps your mother? What would it do to you, to watch another mother cut down before you? Hmmm? What would you do with that  _ anger?”  _ Savage pressed the tip of his blade closer to Satine’s throat. She flinched, ever so slightly, at the heat, but trained her eyes on Anakin.

“Steady, Anakin,” his father said quietly from beside him. “He wants a reaction. Don’t give into him.”

Anakin said nothing. His mind screamed at him to do  _ something.  _ Anything. But the Force whispered to him, and he fought against his mind’s screams. Tried to center himself in the Force, to listen. Trust in it. Still, his hand ached to take up his lightsaber and launch himself at the Zabrak.

Maul stepped behind Padme, rested both hands on her shoulders. “This one I  _ know  _ would break you, wouldn’t she?” He glanced down at her for a moment before looking back up at Anakin. “You love her more than life itself, don’t you, Skywalker?” He lifted a hand, brushing his fingers across Padme’s cheek. She pulled back sharply from the touch. “You would do anything to keep her safe. Keep her and….and the  _ child  _ she bares.” He laughed, deep and menacing. “Oh, that certainly does change things, doesn’t it?” 

“Anakin, don’t,” Padme said, voice barely a whisper. “You are better than this.”

“Hush, woman,” Maul growled, pushing her forward roughly. Lily scrambled, steadying Padme next to her, and Maul swiftly leveled his blade to them both. “What will it be, Skywalker?”

Anakin swallowed hard, then squared his shoulders. “You’ll have to kill me, Maul. I have no intentions of turning.”

Maul sighed. “Such a pity. And a waste. You possess so much potential.”

To Anakin’s relief, Maul stepped around the three women. The relief was short lived, as Savage leveled his blade at Lily when she made to scramble to her feet. “Be still,” the beast growled, lips twisting into a sneer.

“Face me, then, Skywalker. Your time has come to an end.”

Korkie glanced at Anakin, reaching for his lightsaber, but Anakin raised his hand, waving him off. Korkie stepped back, Obi-Wan following suit, and Anakin reached deep into the Force, still whispering to him to  _ trust. _

Maul sank into his ready stance, both blades blazing angry red. Anakin pulled his hilt loose from his belt and moved to prepare himself to fight.

The room shattered. Quite literally. The glass walls on all four sides burst into millions of pieces, and the room filled with jetpack wearing Death Watch commandos, raining blaster fire down on the criminals holding Bo-Katan and her group of Protectors at bay. The Protectors leapt into action, Tol’ket and Rau rushing the dais, taking advantage of Savage’s momentary surprise. Tol’ket hammered into him with his shoulder, knocking the beast away, while Rau covered the womens’ escape. Bo-Katan barked an order, and several Protectors followed after Rau, shepherding all three women away from the chaos. 

Anakin’s relief was instant and palatable. They were safe. He could breathe. Until the flash of a lightsaber came hammering toward his head. He blocked it just in time, coming perilously close to losing his head. 

“A momentary distraction will not stop me, Skywalker,” Maul hissed as their blades bound, Anakin pressing the blades back toward Maul’s chest.

“And I still have no intentions of turning or dying,” Anakin growled. Their blades skittered apart, snapping and crackling, and they circled each other slowly. And, as the throne room was razed around them, they launched themselves at each other.

Here, in the open, Maul was in his element. He danced and leapt, his twin blades spinning with him. He was powerful, like Anakin remembered from their brief duel when Anakin was still just a boy. But now Anakin was powerful, too. He matched Maul, blow for blow, each parry and cut, as they sliced their way through the room. The Force sang to Anakin and he latched on to it, immersed himself in it, and let it guide him, refusing to bend to this madman’s will. 

It seemed to go on forever and for only a moment. They were evenly matched, neither giving up ground easily. Anakin began to wonder if they would just go on like this until they both would succumb to exhaustion.

In that moment, Maul lost his focus, his eyes moving to the dais. Anakin glanced up just in time to see Bo-Katan bring her  _ beskad  _ down on Savage, who had Tol’ket pinned on the floor, blades bound in a struggle. Bo’s blade, impossibly sharp and strong, handily removed Savage’s head from his shoulders. The horned head bounced down the stairs as the massive body crumpled, Tol’ket scrambling backwards to get away from it.

“ _ Brother!”  _ Maul roared. He made to move toward the body as an eerie green mist poured from Savage’s wounds. Bo-Katan yelped and leapt back, practically falling over Tol’ket. “No,  _ brother,”  _ Maul moaned, falling to his knees by the body.

It wasn’t until one of the Black Sun Falleens spoke that Anakin realized the room had fallen still and silent, everyone shocked at the sight.

“Lord Maul, we are outgunned. We need to go, now,” the Falleen shouted. Maul glanced up, eyes sad and angry, then glanced at Savage’s head where it had come to rest at the bottom of the dais. 

“Yes,” he said simply. He stood and moved toward the main doors, only stopping for a moment, leveling a hard, angry look at Bo-Katan, before moving on. The room erupted around him into chaos once again. Anakin suddenly found himself not fighting off Maul, but working overtime to keep himself and any commandos near him from getting shot. His blade hummed and buzzed as he deflected blaster bolts back into the remaining criminals. The room suddenly filled with acrid smoke, and then, Maul was gone. Vanished through the smoke.

“Death Watch, go!” Anakin heard Bo shout as Obi-Wan lifted his hands, pressing the smoke out of the busted windows with the Force. Death Watch jetpacks fired, lifting commandos skyward, chasing the smoke out of the decimated room. 

Korkie kicked a canister. “Kriffing hell. A smoke bomb. We lost him with a karking smoke bomb.”

Anakin didn’t stay to hear the rest of the conversation. “The Protectors office,” Tol’ket shouted as he ran past the man. He offered him only a nod, and ran straight there, pushing his way through the Protectors standing at the ready. Inside he found his mother, gingerly cleaning Lily’s split lip, and Padme.

They fell into each other’s arms, and he breathed deep, holding her tightly, wishing to never let her go.

“We’re safe, Ani,” she whispered. “Everyone is safe.”

* * *

Death Watch's well timed rescue was thanks to Ursa. Bo had left her in the bunker with Alrich and the children, much to Ursa's protest, commanding her to get a hold of Greer or Muri and get the children to safety. She'd done that, and more, by gathering troops and raiding the throne room.

The woman was a force of nature, even concussed. Bo could have kissed her when the chaos had settled.

Now, Bo-Katan stood in the doorway that once led to a balcony. She had stood on that balcony at one point that evening, though it felt like a lifetime ago. She’d been briefly happy, content, her mind cheerfully buzzing with  _ tihaar  _ and the weird little thrill that Tol’ket’s touch and smile sent through her.

Had that actually been the same night?

She watched billows of smoke from dying fires throughout Sundari. She could see the blazes of jetpacks, her commandos still scouring the city for signs of Maul or any leftover criminals. She knew more were on foot, searching the undercity, as well. So far, there had been no luck. She couldn’t imagine how they would get off world.

But, then again, she hadn’t expected anyone to get planet side, either.

Her skin crawled under her armor. She desperately wanted out of it. Out of her jumpsuit. She was sticky with sweat and reeked of adrenalin and smoke, Savage’s blood splattered over her in grisly dapples. If she never had to decapitate someone again, it would be too soon. If she saw a bed this night, which was quickly approaching morning, she knew that moment would be yet another moment to fuel her endless cycle of nightmares. That, and seeing lightsabers held to her sister and niece’s throats. And Ursa, crumpled and frighteningly still. And seeing Tol’ket down and desperate, the sight that ultimately drove her to her horrific actions. All things she never wanted to see again. Which meant she probably should never close her eyes again.

“Any news?”

She startled at the sound of Tol’ket’s voice, and he caught her from stumbling out the door, grabbing her elbow. She jerked away involuntarily, some latent response to stress, she was sure. The pained look that flashed across his face cut her deep. She had been sure they’d moved past that jumpiness, and she hated that her stupid anxiety could wound him like that. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it by way of apology. 

“They haven’t found anything yet,” she said, answering his question. “I suspect we’ll be searching through the day, at least.”

He nodded solemnly, squeezing her hand back, tugging it gently to pull her closer.

“Thanks for the assist earlier, by the way,” he said, surprising her with his serious tone.

She smiled, though she was sure it didn’t reach her eyes. She was so tired. “I think I owed you, anyway.”

He grunted, sounding frustrated. “I’m not keeping score, Bo. We have each other’s back, right?”

She nodded. Of that she was sure.

He tipped her chin up with a finger, forcing her to look him in the eye. “Are you ok? Really?”

“I’m fi-” His hard look stopped her. He didn’t want her lies. She closed her eyes for a moment, working up the courage to actually tell him what she really felt. “No. I’m not ok. The four people who mean the most to me all came close to being taken from me tonight. And I’m not ok.”

He furrowed his brow for a moment, as if doing the math in his head. Then his features softened, and suddenly she was wrapped tightly in his arms, her head pressed into the crook of his shoulder, his cheek resting against her hair. 

They stood like that for a long moment. “I have the feeling I may have made a very dangerous enemy tonight,” she added, finally, not making any move to pull from his arms.

His arms tightened around her more, and he sighed. “I will keep you safe, Bo. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that as exhausting to read as it was to write? I kinda hope so, but for good reasons.
> 
> Listen, I kinda feel like I did Savage dirty here, but I guess since we're not off in the galaxy, seeing things from every angle, we really have to play it by what our family sees. Bo sees a giant brute threatening someone she cares for. I know he's more of a tragic sort who was used and manipulated by multiple members of his family. At least he died a warrior's death here, instead of being used as a pawn by the chief sleamo of the galaxy, only bent on torturing Maul. So, I guess this is just my way of saying I see the real you, Savage! lol
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Jai'gaalar- shriek hawk (we all probably know that one, but just in case).  
> Ke'mot, verd'ika!- Halt/stay still, little warrior.
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you!!!


	56. Smoke and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satine and Obi-Wan get the rare opportunity to enjoy each other's company, while Korkie adjusts to his new life on Coruscant amidst intrigue and destruction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last couple of chapters were wild. Here, have a bit of fluff, some bonding, and dialogue heavy moments. Enjoy it while it lasts.

_ 19 BBY _

"It's so quiet," Satine said as she refilled her and Obi-Wan's wine glasses.

He grinned at her as she moved around the low table to settle back into his arms on the sofa. "You say that like it's a bad thing, my love."

She laughed, taking a sip of her wine- an excellent vintage from Naboo that Padme had gifted them for their anniversary. "It most certainly is not a bad thing."

Korkie had left for Coruscant last week to attend classes at the University of Coruscant and intern in the Senate. Lily was with Bo-Katan for a few nights on Concordia. Satine had reservations with her child spending so much time immersed in Death Watch, but couldn't deny the bond her sister and daughter had forged.

Obi-Wan set his datapad down on the arm of the sofa and sighed with contentment, pressing a kiss into Satine's hair. "And to think, in a few more years, this will be every night." 

Satine's heart clenched at that thought a bit. Certainly, it would be nice to have her husband completely to herself. That wasn't really something they'd ever had. Their first year together had been chaperoned by Qui-Gon, and while he had more or less turned a blind eye to their budding romance, it was still built on stolen moments. They hadn’t even made love in a proper bed until they had returned to Sundari. Then they had had a few short months alone together after returning to Sundari, but, between pregnancy and re-building a viable government, there hadn't been much time to just be a couple in love. After that, the family grew and their moments completely alone were nearly as scarce as they had been when they were with Qui-Gon.

Still, Satine had no regrets. 

She snuggled down further against Obi-Wan, relishing the shared body heat, the lack of loud music blaring through the family residence or podracing dominating the holoscreen in the lounge. Just him, some wine, and soft music.

“Ben, do you ever regret we didn’t have more children?” she asked, twining her fingers through his.

Obi-Wan sputtered on the sip of wine he had just taken. “Darling, are you suggesting you want another child? When we have a  _ grandchild  _ on the way?”

Satine laughed, smacking him playfully on the side. “Stars, no, you ridiculous man! I am very happy having  _ that  _ behind us.” She pulled her legs up on the sofa, turning to face him. “I just wonder sometimes if we should have had more. When we were still of that mindset.”

He nodded solemnly, brushing a tendril of hair behind her ear. “We must take care not to dwell in the past or on the what ifs. I have no doubt we would have been just as happy with the three wonderful children we have, or if we would have had ten more, but we mustn’t lose ourselves in wondering about what might have been.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “ _ Jetii.  _ You sound like Qui-Gon.” She settled back against him and sipped at her wine.

“Qui-Gon was a wise man who taught us  _ both  _ well, my love.” He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer to him. “You know I’m right.”

She turned her face to him, giving him a mock, critical look. “Possibly.”

He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. “That’s what I thought.”

They fell back into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both reading on their datapads. They had said they wouldn’t work this evening, but one glance at Obi-Wan’s datapad proved that that had been a failed pact. Of course, Satine was working, too. It was nearly impossible to get away from it, even for a moment.

Which led her to her next question. “Have you talked to Bo yet about the new developments we’re hearing?”

Obi-Wan sighed, tilting his head back in mild exasperation. “No, not yet. I haven’t had time to pull together better information that you  _ know  _ she is going to insist upon before she allows anything to happen.” Satine nodded in agreement. “I….I’ll make room in my schedule over the next couple of days to get it done before she brings Lily back.”

“How do you think she’ll take the news?”

“She’s  _ your  _ sister. How do you think she’ll take it?”

Satine laughed dryly. “Bo is an enigma when it comes to her feelings on this type of thing and how it relates to Death Watch. This could be the best news of her life. Or she’ll panic.”

Obi-Wan nodded at her assessment. “All the more reason to have all the information I can for her before broaching the subject.” He looked weary, spent. They were practically holding the government together themselves, and it was taking its toll.

“I’m sorry to put more on your plate, love,” she said, running a hand through his hair. 

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. We’re spread too thin. We need to fill our vacant seats sooner than later, though. We can’t keep on like this. It’ll put us both in early graves.”

She smacked him on the chest, less playfully this time. “Don’t joke like that, Obi-Wan.”

He caught her hand, pressed a kiss to her palm. “ I’m sorry, my love. You’re right.” He kissed her wrist. “Let me make it up to you?” He pushed the sleeve of her dress up and pressed a kiss to her forearm, then in the crook of her elbow. It sent a delightful shudder through her.

“You’re doing a very fine job of that.”

He smiled at her devilishly, then pushed her back flat onto the sofa. He hovered over her for a moment, studying her face carefully. “I so rarely get a moment anymore just to think about how beautiful you are, Satine.” His face was soft, but serious. She framed it with both her hands and pulled him down, kissing him with the fire he had stoked in her with his sweet words.

He broke away from her lips when they were both a bit breathless and began to blaze a trail with kisses, along her jawline and down her neck, across her collarbone. A hand worked its way up her calf and thigh, pulling her skirt up with it.

She placed her hand over his before it reached its intended destination. He flashed her a surly look. “I have a better idea,” she whispered.

He pressed a kiss into her sternum. “I find that hard to believe.”

She hummed in response. “A long hot bath? I can wash your hair, like when we were young.” She ran both hands through his thick, auburn hair. She wondered if he had noticed the flecks of grey and just didn’t want to acknowledge them. “Besides, we have that big, lovely bed. Wouldn’t you prefer that to a rut on the sofa, where stars know what has been spilled?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “It would be easier on my back.” Then he groaned. “ _ Manda’ner.  _ I sounded so  _ old _ just then.”

She laughed and pushed him off of her. “Come on, Ben. No more work. We have better things to do elsewhere.”

* * *

  
  


Upon seeing Anakin’s aide gone, Korkie burst into Anakin’s office carrying a take out bag ladened with food from Dex’s. They had planned to meet for lunch, but Anakin had commed Korkie as he was leaving his class, asking if he could pick up lunch instead, as he was too busy to get out of the office. Korkie came to a crashing halt, nearly spilling the contents of the bag, when he realized Anakin wasn’t alone, as he had thought, but in the company of the Chancellor himself.

“Oh uh, my apologies!” Korkie stammered. “When I saw that Mij was gone, I assumed you were alone.” He went to spin and retreat, quickly, preferring  _ not  _ to be in the company of Chancellor Palpatine himself. “I’ll wait out-”

“Don’t be silly, young man,” the Chancellor said, halting Korkie in his tracks. “I was leaving momentarily, anyhow.”

Korkie straightened his shoulders and plastered a smile on his face as he turned around. “Very well.” He sat the bag down on the low table in front of the sofa and politely extended his hand to the Chancellor. “A pleasure to see you again, sir,” he lied.

Chancellor Palpatine shook his offered hand. “And good to see you, as well, Master Kryze-Kenobi. It’s been far too long. You’ve grown into a fine young man.” Korkie stomped down the overwhelming urge to crawl out of his skin. “Enjoying your classes so far?”

Korkie’s eyes darted to Anakin, who looked as surprised as he was that the Chancellor knew he was a student at the university. The family had kept that information a closely guarded secret after some of the more interesting adventures of the last year. “Uh, yes, sir, it is always interesting to gain a fresh perspective on the galaxy,” he replied.

“Good, good. I’m sure your parents are proud.” The older man smiled and nodded at them both. “Senator Skywalker, please let me know if you have any further questions. Now, gentlemen, I shall leave you to your lunch.” With that, he turned, and Anakin rushed to see him to the door. Mas Amedda, who Korkie somehow had totally missed, moved his usual place at the Chancellor’s side. 

“Thank you again for stopping by, your excellency. That was an enlightening discussion,” Anakin said, as he saw the man out the door. When the door slid shut, he slumped against it, looking exhausted.

He looked up at Korkie. “Sorry about that. I didn’t expect him to stay so long. I would have given you a heads up.” He pushed off the door and made his way to the bag of food.

“What was all that about, anyway?” Korkie asked, sounding more irritated than he meant as he sat down on the sofa and dug out his nerf slider.

“I had some things I wanted to discuss with him,” Anakin said simply as he checked that his own slider was correctly made.

“What  _ things?”  _ Korkie pressed around a bite of food. Their mother would kill him for eating like a monkey-lizard, but he was far hungrier than he’d realized.

Anakin grumbled a bit, sounding irritated himself. “Listen, keep this between us, ok?” Korkie nodded as he stuffed more slider into his mouth. “I’m looking into some things. I don’t really want to talk about what they are, just yet, but they involve the Chancellor.”

Korkie wrinkled his nose in disgust, but couldn’t answer right away. He took a sip of his fizzpop to wash down the massive bite he had been chewing. “What could you possibly need to know about that involves that man?”

“I can’t get into it right now, Korkie.”

“Anakin…”

Anakin leveled a hard look on him. “Just trust me.”

Korkie returned the hard look, but finally nodded, relenting. “I can’t imagine what the big secret is, but fine, whatever.” He glanced over his shoulder at the door, as if expecting the man in question to be standing there. “Just be careful, ok? I’ve never liked him.”

“Me either, and I am being careful.  _ Believe  _ me.” He stuffed an entire protato wedge into his mouth. Clearly, without Padme or their mother, table manners for the two of them did not exist. “Let’s talk about something different. You want to come help me on that speeder I told you about tonight?”

“What about Padme?” Korkie asked, reclining back into the couch with his fizzpop.

“She’s got a dinner thing,” Anakin shrugged.

“You’re not invited?”

“It’s for ‘Female Leaders of the Republic,’” Anakin said, making air quotes with his fingers. “Some sort of boring symposium Mon Mothma invited her to. So, how about it? Speeder?”

Korkie hesitated. Anakin, Padme had told him upon his arrival last week, had not been sleeping well. And, now that Korkie was on the same time as Anakin, he had become Anakin’s company in the middle of the night, either by late night holo calls or by staying up late into the night with him at their apartment, working on one project or another or watching a podrace or a holoreel. It was like he was avoiding sleeping, and it made Korkie worry. Anakin had been like this before, when they were younger.

But Korkie also needed to sleep. And to study.

He sighed. “Sure, ok. But not too late, ok? I need to work on a paper.”

“Right, right. Sure. Not too-”

A low boom interrupted Anakin. The barest of tremors rattled the building around them.

“ _ Me’haran?”  _ Korkie muttered, staring at Anakin. Anakin shook his head and stood, looking out the expansive windows behind his desk. 

“Oh shit.”

Korkie stood and looked. A plume of smoke and fire billowed from the Jedi Temple off in the distance.

“That’s not good,” he said, moving closer to the window. Anakin followed.

“No. It’s not.”

“Is Coruscant under attack?” Korkie asked, trying to crane his neck up to the sky. He couldn’t see any evidence of war ships. Nothing else seemed to be affected. Just the temple.

Anakin stepped to his desk and tapped a few keys on his computer, looking to see if there was any breaking reports. “Not a lot here, just reports of an explosion in the hangar at the temple.”

Korkie turned his eyes back on the temple. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

* * *

  
  


Korkie and Anakin had barely finished cleaning up their lunch, when Anakin was called away to a security briefing.

“I’ll let you know what I find out,” Anakin called as he rushed out the door, datapad in hand.

Korkie sighed, and turned back to the window. The fire seemed to be under control, but a pillar of smoke still rose from the temple. He glanced at the chrono on the office wall, and made a decision.

As he stepped out into the antechamber for the Mandalorian senate office, Aled, his Protector, slipped in beside him. “Where are we headed?”

Korkie glanced over at him. “To the Jedi Temple.”

Aled made a pained face. “Wasn’t there just an explosion there, Korkie?”

Korkie grinned at him. “What’s a little explosion for us Mando’ade,  _ ner vod?” _

“ _ Wayii,”  _ Aled groaned. But then grinned and winked.

Korkie chuckled. “Besides, It’s not like I can go in. I’m just curious.”

They made their way to the Senate garage and their speeder, and soon Korkie was maneuvering them out into the afternoon traffic. 

“What do you think it was?” Aled asked over the rushing wind as they sailed along through traffic.

Korkie grimaced. “I want it to be just an accident.”

Korkie could feel Aled’s eyes on him, studying him carefully. “But your gut is saying something else, isn’t it?”

Korkie nodded, eyes forward on the traffic, that was slowing as it grew closer to the temple. Aled muttered something in Mando’a about karking  _ jetii _ that Korkie didn’t quite catch.

“Your friend. Ahsoka? Is she planet side?” Aled asked.

“No. Last I heard from her she was on her way to Cato Neimoidia.” Korkie pretended to ignore him as he pulled his blaster from his holster and checked the charges. He had long since learned that it was a nervous habit of most Protectors, and Aled had been through enough with Korkie to know it was always important to be ready.

Aled grunted a laugh as he holstered his blaster.

“What’s so funny?” Korkie asked, glancing over at him before pulling out of traffic to park. They weren’t going to get closer by speeder today.

“I laughed because I had the absurd thought that she was safer on the battlefield,” Aled confessed.

That made Korkie laugh. “Honestly, I’ve been with her on a battlefield. She is definitely safer.”

They parked the speeder on a quiet street about a kilometer from the temple’s grand entrance, and set out to walk the rest of the distance. It was a pleasant day, and Korkie was happy for a chance to stretch his legs. He was still settling into his new routine on Coruscant and had barely had time for a short run, let alone any proper sparring or exercise. 

They walked together amiably, Aled, new to Coruscant, occasionally pointing out something interesting around them or asking Korkie about certain buildings. It would have been actually enjoyable- a walk on a pretty afternoon with the young man who had become his friend in the past months- if it hadn’t been for the tower of smoke growing larger the closer they got to the temple.

As they rounded a corner and came out onto the large plaza in front of the temple, they saw a small gathering of civilians on the steps leading into the building. Most looked worried, wringing hands or dabbing at tears, but a small group was angry and shouting, carrying signs.

Aled stopped in his tracks, and grabbed Korkie’s arm, pulling him to a stop. “I know I’m not going to convince you to go back to the speeder, so give me your lightsaber.”

“ _ Me’ven?”  _ Korkie exclaimed.

“Korkie, look at the kriffing signs.”

Korkie looked. Several of the signs read  _ “The Jedi are Corrupt” _ or  _ “Stop Cloning Violence” _ and other phrases along those lines.

“Oh,” Korkie breathed, turning back to Aled.

“Yeah, oh,” Aled said, rolling his eyes. “They’ll go nuts if you strut up there with that thing dangling from your hip. It’s bad enough we’re Mando’ade. Give me the lightsaber, or hide it in your tunic, or  _ something.  _ But don’t go up there openly carrying the weapon of who has them pissed off.”

Korkie gave a curt nod and unclipped his lightsaber, handing it to Aled. He tucked into the folds of his uniform, then gestured for Korkie to lead on.

They approached the crowd, climbing the stairs slowly to assess the situation. Aled directed Korkie toward those who looked concerned rather than the protesters, placing himself firmly between him and the angry group. Korkie approached a Rodian male, one of the more composed looking of the bunch. 

“Do we know what has happened?” Korkie asked the Rodian.

He shook his head, his antennae wagging in distress. “No, nothing yet.” He gestured to the group he was standing with. “We all have loved ones that work in the hangar.”

Korkie gave the Rodian’s shoulder a squeeze, and tried to pass some waves of comfort through the Force to him. “I’m sure we’ll be hearing news soon,” he offered, trying to sound comforting. The Rodian said nothing, just nodded quietly.

“Korkie, I see. Always curious, you have been,” a familiar voice called to him over the crowd. He turned to see Master Yoda standing at the top of the steps, watching the growing crowd. 

“What the hell is  _ that?”  _ Aled muttered in Korkie’s ear.

“ _ He _ , Aled, is Master Yoda. One of  _ your  _ Mand’alor’s Jedi masters,” Korkie snarled. “Show some damn respect.”

Aled flinched at the harshness in Korkie’s voice, but straightened up.

Korkie turned back to Master Yoda and began to climb the remaining stairs. “Master Yoda!” He greeted. “I’m sorry this unfortunate event is why we’re seeing each other again.”

Yoda looked Korkie up and down. “Big you have gotten. Not so weedy, like your father at your age.”

Korkie couldn’t help but chuckle. “I do finally have a few centimeters on my father, yes.” He turned to Aled. “Master Yoda, may I introduce Lieutenant Aled Kelborn of the Mandalorian Protectors. Aled, this is Grand Master Yoda.”

Aled saluted smartly then offered a bow. “Master Jedi,” he said in greeting.

Yoda just chuckled. “Big this one is, too, I see.” Aled smirked at Korkie, and he could all but hear his question-  _ this  _ is who helped form and shape the Mand’alor?

Korkie ignored him. “Master Yoda, do we know what has happened?”

Yoda gestured for the two of them to follow him away from the gathering crowd. “Know we do not,” he said, his very demeanor turning as serious as his voice. “Investigating we are.”

“But this wasn’t an accident,” Korkie said. A statement. Not a question.

“Appears a saboteur we have,” Yoda said, frowning. “Grave this is.” He glanced up at Korkie and poked him in the shin with his gimer stick. “Your friend, Ahsoka, I have called back. With her master, find the source of this dark moment they will.”

Korkie stamped down the glimmer of excitement that rushed over him, hearing that Ahsoka would be on Coruscant. “That makes sense. Use Jedi that weren’t in the temple to investigate.”

“Wise you are. Like your father,” Yoda said, smiling sadly at him.

“I try, Master Yoda.” He looked out at the crowd. It had grown in the few minutes they had been speaking. “Is there anything we, Anakin and I, can do to help?”

“Kind, like your father, too.” Yoda folded his hands over the head of his walking stick. “No, young Korkie. Nothing can you do.”

“And these people?” 

“Wait, they will, sadly, until more answers we have,” Yoda said with a sigh. 

Korkie nodded solemnly, then looked up to see Master Windu approaching. He looked graver than normal as he nodded in greeting.

“Master Yoda, you’re needed in the hangar,” he said quietly.

Yoda nodded and began to shuffle off, stopping one last time to look up at Korkie again. “A memorial, we will have. Friends, your father may have had among the fallen. Invited he will be.”

“Yes, Master Yoda. I will make him aware,” Korkie said quietly, bowing as the old master shuffled back into the temple.

Aled sighed from beside him. “This isn’t good.”

Korkie shook his head. The Force, while always misty and dark feeling here, felt particularly jagged and edgy. “I admit, I am a bit nervous about this.” He gave one last look toward the temple, then turned to move down the stairs. 

“And you hate feeling useless,” Aled answered as he walked beside him.

“You know me too well.”

Aled smiled at him. “I believe that’s part of my job.”

Korkie nodded, returning his smile. “Oh, sure. Right.” He glanced at the gathering loved ones, many of which were exchanging hugs or huddled close together, speaking softly. “What do you say we go get these people some caf and tea and maybe some snacks?”

“There ya go. Less useless already.”

They made their way down the steps, past the protestors once more, and headed back out into the city. Korkie glanced back up at the temple as they ducked into a nearby caf shop. He’d never been one for any sort of precognition, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was about to change so many lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I realize that there are lots of questions left unanswered. I have my ways.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for today!  
> Me'haran- What the hell?  
> Me'ven- huh? What?
> 
> If you didn't see, Korkie's kyber crystal gathering one shot is up. Titled "Everything You Need."
> 
> Many resplendent and majestic thanks, as usual, for just being you, you amazing readers.


	57. Public Opinion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo receives news she never expected, while her sister comes to terms with a changing Mandalore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my darling pirates (listen, I start to run out of a good gender neutral greetings...I have to reach occasionally).
> 
> This chapter isn't what I wanted it to be. The major plot line from the last chapter will continue in the NEXT chapter. Right now I am at point A, and I know what point C, D, and the final destination are, but I am lost between A and B. Add to that, this particular little side quest got more fleshed out than I expected. It's important. Possibly dry, but important. I injected nice things into it to fight the dryness. 
> 
> Forgive me.

_ 19 BBY _

Bo-Katan twisted at a gauntlet as she slipped into the antechamber of Obi-Wan’s office, as if she could make it fit better than it already did. He had been vague, cheerful, but vague, about this meeting and it set her nerves on edge. 

She smiled when she caught sight of Tol’ket, waiting for her with two cups of caf. “Good morning,” she said, sounding sing-song and brighter than she felt. 

A crooked smile broke out across his face. “Good morning, Bo. It’s been too long.”

It  _ had  _ been too long. A month had passed since Maul’s attack on Sundari and the palace, and they had both been utterly buried in the aftermath. Both the Protectors and Death Watch had suffered casualties. The clean up had been immense. Bo had barely left Concordia, deep in the mire of damage control from their losses. It had been a long month, with more work still ahead, and they’d barely crossed paths in that time, with little time even to speak via comm.

And, Bo realized in that moment, she had  _ missed  _ him.

Tol’ket pressed the cup into her hand, fingers brushing hers, standing closer than necessary and smiling that smile. She could smell his soap. Or maybe it was his aftershave. She didn’t know, but had the inappropriately timed thought that she wanted to know what it was that made him smell like cedar and citrus. Thinking about her friend’s soap choices while waiting for her Mand’alor was ridiculous. This was all just...ridiculous.

She shook her head and his smile morphed into a smirk, but he remained quiet, waiting for her. She realized suddenly that she’d been quiet far too long.

“Why are you here?” she asked, dumbly. There were infinite reasons why her brother-in-law’s head Protector could be standing outside his office, waiting to go in.

“I’m here for the same meeting you are,” he said, moving back and rolling his shoulders as if to shake the last of his sleep induced stiffness from his body. Or, possibly more accurately, knowing him, working loose his cramped muscles from working at his desk entirely too late into the night.

She set her helmet on Obi-Wan’s aide’s desk- it was unoccupied this early- and leaned against it, drinking the caf he had given her. “Care to enlighten me on what this is about?”

He shrugged. “Death Watch is popular among the citizens, Bo. Obi-Wan and the Duchess both want to sort out what that means for Death Watch.”

She furrowed her brow in thought. “Not that I’m not happy to see you for more than a few seconds, but what do you have to do with that?” 

“Obi-Wan thinks I may have insight on some things.”

“Oh?” Bo replied.

Before he could elaborate, Obi-Wan and Satine walked in, arm in arm, chatting away softly to each other.

“Good morning, you two,” Obi-Wan greeted, gliding passed to open his office. Satine stopped beside Bo, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. 

“I’m sorry Lily used her exceptional skills of persuasion to stay another night and force you to bring her back so early for school today.”

Bo laughed, squeezing Satine’s hand back. “I  _ like  _ having her around. I let her pretend she had to work hard to persuade me. Don’t tell her.”

Satine stepped past, heading into the office, laughing. “Your secret is safe with me, Bo.”

They all filed in, settling themselves in Obi-Wan’s cozy seating area, as house staff scurried in with a tea service and a carafe of caf.

“I didn’t realize you would be here for this meeting, Satine,” Bo said to her sister, seated beside her on the sofa, as she topped off her caf. “I thought this was specifically about Death Watch.”

A grim looked flickered across Satine’s face for the briefest of moments as she set about preparing tea for her and Obi-Wan. Had Bo not been watching, she would have missed it, because Satine’s face nearly instantly settled back into her standard benevolent indifference. 

“It will become more apparent why I am here,” she said, selecting a satchel of tea for herself. “This discussion has implications for Mandalore at large, and I intend to speak my mind about it.”

Bo went still as anxiety swept over her, her mind flicking back to the shouting matches they had had in the months leading up to Carlac. She had hoped they’d moved past that. She had  _ tried  _ to move past that, bending her desires to defend Mandalore around Satine’s desires to distance herself and all of Mandalore from perceived violence.

Satine must have sensed her sudden shift in anxiety, because she lay her long, elegant hand on Bo’s arm. “Don’t worry, Bo. We will make this work for everyone, I’m sure of it.” The stiff, forced smile Satine offered her, though, did nothing to ease Bo’s anxiousness. 

“Alright,” Bo drawled, picking up her caf cup. “So, what is this all about?"

Obi-Wan, sitting across from her, smiled. “We’ve had some interesting feedback in the last month from the public, since Death Watch chased the crime syndicates out of Sundari.”

Bo scowled. “We also failed to apprehend Maul.”

Obi-Wan shrugged good naturedly. “And he’s evaded the Protectors multiple times. Death Watch is in good company.”

Bo glanced at Tol’ket. The muscles in his jaw flexed as his face hardened for a moment. Clearly, this was a sore subject. He took a sip of his caf as his eyes darted to her. He caught her looking, and offered her a tight, tense little smile as reward.

Bo turned her attention back to Obi-Wan. “So, what is this feedback?” 

“It seems,” Satine started, beating Obi-Wan to it, “that there is a great deal of interest in people  _ enlisting  _ with Death Watch.”

Bo’s jaw dropped. To say this was unexpected would be a horrific understatement. She knew that there had been some upticks in Death Watch’s approval rating, though she had never bothered to ask how one went about finding out how Death Watch fared in the court of public opinion. This was a part of governance that she had no interest in.

But interest in  _ enlisting?  _ This was far different than people saying that Death Watch as a defense force maybe wasn’t such a bad idea.

“We...uh...I,” she stammered incoherently for a moment before finally gathering her wits again. “We aren’t exactly the kind of organization that has recruitment offices.”

“I would think not,” Satine said tightly, gazing down into the tea cup clasped tightly in her hands.

“Certainly you have methods for filling your ranks, Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan said, far more relaxed than either Bo or Satine seemed to be. “I’ve been to the base. Many times. Your numbers aren’t small.”

Bo swallowed hard and fought the urge to fidget with her gauntlets again. “Obi-Wan, to be frank, very few of the commandos in Death Watch joined willingly. And most of the ones who  _ did  _ join willingly, were almost exclusively Vizsla sympathizers.” Bo could feel Satine stiffen next to her, felt her eyes bore into her. Bo kept her eyes trained on Obi-Wan. “Most were coerced into Death Watch one way or another. Either through some debt owed to Clan Vizsla or Pre directly, or because of some familial obligation. Kriff, even Ursa joined because of pressure Pre put on her father.” She shifted in her seat, plucking at a loose thread in the seam of her jumpsuit. “But there were other methods. Harsher methods. Death Watch preyed on the weak and vulnerable, scooping up children, essentially, and making them child soldiers.” She refrained from adding,  _ like her. _

“And you continue to force them to stay?” Satine asked, her voice sharp, angry.

“What? No! Kriffing hells, Satine.” Bo ran a hand over her face. This meeting’s cheerful tone had evaporated rather quickly, and Bo felt hot all over because of it. “Once we had cleared the ranks of Vizsla sympathizers, everyone was given the opportunity to return home. Most chose to stay, either out of sense of duty to the Mand’alor, or because they wanted to be a part of something bigger. Be something important to Mandalore.” 

Bo finally relented to her restlessness and stood, walking to the wide window that looked out over the city. “I even helped some of the kids who wanted out find their families. Or I set them up with jobs and places to stay.” She turned back to the group and looked at Satine. “But most stayed because they are Mando’ade, and protecting Mandalore is the most important thing to all of them.”

Satine blinked at her, her eyes wide in surprise. Then her posture softened. “You never cease to amaze me, Bo-Katan.” She offered Bo a small smile. An apology of sorts, Bo presumed.

Bo wandered back to the seating area, but didn’t sit; only picked up her cup. “So, Obi-Wan, I will admit I am a little lost when you say people want to enlist. Do we have numbers? How serious is this?”

A look passed between Obi-Wan and Satine, both smirking like they were sharing an inside joke. “What?” she asked, exasperated.

Obi-Wan stood and walked to his desk, producing a datapad. “This should answer most of your questions, I think.” He handed it to her before taking his seat again. She glanced at the screen, and for a brief, embarrassing moment wondered if she would pass out in shock.

“Oh stars.”

She sat down on the sofa heavily, Two hundred and thirteen inquiries to some bureaucratic office regarding enlisting with Death Watch. Certainly not Grand Army of the Republic numbers (though, these weren’t people manufactured in a lab for the sole purpose of war), but a much bigger influx of new commandos than she’d ever been a part of. She scrolled. No, two hundred and thirteen wasn’t quite right. Those were just the serious inquiries, many tied with requests to travel to Concordia. She chuckled at that. Apparently, some people thought they could just walk up and knock on the front door.

But there was more than just those inquiries. Over a thousand more, just general questions and requests for more information. It had been a month since Maul’s attack, and whatever state official handled this type of thing had fielded over thirty inquiries a day, all wanting for information on her wiley bunch of Mando’ade. And, to top it off, of citizens questioned in some government sponsored polling, Death Watch had an eighty two percent approval rating. She never thought this would be imaginable. 

Bo looked at Satine. “And you’re alright with all of this?”

Satine sighed, glancing at Obi-Wan, then Tol’ket, then finally turned to Bo fully. “In a perfect world, Bo-Katan, we could send your people home to live peaceful lives. You could come home and settle down, or do whatever it is that would make you happy in a life of peace. But I’m coming to terms with the fact that that life is not possible. Not how I want it for Mandalore. Not how I have strived to provide for eighteen years. At least not now. Maybe one day the galaxy will be at peace, and Mandalore will not seem to have to fight for its very existence. So, no, Bo, I am not alright with this. At all. But if the people have a desire to stand up for Mandalore, I will no longer deny that.”

Satine paused, closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if gathering her thoughts. “That being said,” she finally went on, “I do not want active recruiting. No recruitment campaigns. No advertising. No luring people to join. Everyone who joins will join because they seek  _ you  _ out. Not the other way around. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Bo grunted. She opted not to argue that without recruiting she may miss the best candidates, but she understood why Satine required these concessions and wouldn’t push back on them. 

“I….I don’t know what to do with this information,” Bo finally confessed. “This is...this is a lot. I don’t know the first thing about  _ enlisting  _ willing participants.” She groaned and cast her eyes to the ceiling. “And  _ training.  _ I don’t know if I have the resources for that.  _ Manda’ner.” _

Obi-Wan, still impossibly calm, smiled once more. “There is a lot of information there for you to read and digest, so do take your time. Tol’ket can consult on the whole enlisting process, considering he was instrumental in rebuilding the Protectors. He can help you tailor it for the specific needs of a Death Watch commando, if you desire.”

Bo turned to look at Tol’ket, who was nodding along with Obi-Wan. “Keep in mind, Bo, that just because someone  _ wants  _ to join Death Watch, that doesn’t mean that they will have what it takes. Don’t let the numbers overwhelm you.”

She smiled at him in thanks, grateful to know he would be at her side with this. “I need to speak with Ursa and Greer about this,” she said, finally, looking back down at the datapad, scrolling through page after page of statistics and potential budgeting forecasts. This was so much to process. She had certainly wondered, over the last year or so, what she would do as her people inevitably left or, Force forbid it, where killed, but this was  _ not  _ a scenario she had counted on.

“Of course,” Obi-Wan replied, rising to his feet again, glancing at Satine. “We’d expect that. Take your time. Read through everything. I’ll transmit it to you, along with a few other reports you may find enlightening.” He glanced at the chrono. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should be receiving a holo from one or both of the boys in a few minutes.”

Bo stood, handing him back his datapad. “Of course. Thank you, Obi-Wan. I’ll talk with Ursa and Greer today, and we’ll start going through all this data.”

He smiled kindly at her, seeing her to the door, Satine and Tol’ket trailing behind. “Whatever we decide to do, Bo-Katan, I have no doubt it will be a remarkable endeavor.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Here’s hoping.” He chuckled softly as she stepped out. Satine moved to her side, looping her arm through Bo’s as Bo gathered her helmet, Tol’ket shadowing them.

“Aren’t you talking to the boys?” Bo asked as she and Satine moved down the hall, arm in arm.

Satine shook her head in frustration. “Unfortunately, no. I have a meeting with the clan heads in just a moment.” Bo wrinkled her nose in displeasure. She had endured a few of those meetings, and they were contentious, at best. “It’s fine,” Satine added. “They’ll be talking  _ jetii  _ nonsense since the boys went to the memorial at the temple in his stead. But at least I got to see you. I trust my daughter didn’t run off into the woods of Concordia to live as the wild thing that she is.”

Bo laughed. “The last I saw of her she was heading into her room to get changed. She willingly came in from the woods. Ursa wore her out.”

It was Satine’s turn to laugh. “Good. I’m always very nervous when she’s on Concordia. But it makes her so happy. The fresh air does her wonders.”

Bo shrugged as they stopped outside the cabinet room. “I swear, Satine. I don’t teach her anything she hasn’t learned from Tol’ket or her father or brothers.” She paused, thinking a moment. “Or  _ you,  _ for that matter. Hell, I think she’s a better shot than most of my sharpshooters. What did you teach her?”

Satine squeezed Bo’s arm before pulling away. “It’s that damn  _ jetii  _ blood, Bo-Katan. Even when they’re not trying to be weirdly magical, they  _ all  _ are.” Tol’ket snorted a laugh from behind them. “Go home and do whatever it is you need to do to sort through this unpleasant business.” Then, much to Bo’s surprise, she pulled Bo into her arms, hugging her tight. “I am very proud of you,” she whispered. Bo thought she may break into a million pieces. 

She squeezed her eyes shut tight, willing herself not to cry. She would not break down in the hallway of the governmental wing of the palace. “I’m proud of you, too, Satine.” 

And she was. She  _ really  _ was. Despite forces from all sides trying to drag Mandalore down, Satine had continued to fight, in her own way, to preserve it. How could she not be proud of her sister?

Satine pulled away from their embrace, and smooth her gown. “Alright. Wish me luck with these  _ shabuirs,”  _ she said with a sigh. She turned to Tol’ket. “Go ahead and see Bo back to her shuttle, Tol’ket,” she added with a hint of a smirk, before turning to go in.

“Of course, your grace.” Tol-ket replied with a little bow as she disappeared into the room. Turning back to Bo, they started down the hall together. They walked in silence for a few paces before he caved. “Are you ok? You’re tense.”

Bo sighed, looking up at him. “I am...overwhelmed.” She shook her head in astonishment. “I never imagined  _ this.  _ I have no idea what I’m doing.”

He smiled at her, catching her hand with his, squeezing it. “Don’t be ridiculous, Bo. You are more than capable.”

She squeezed his hand back, let him tug her a bit closer to him. “Just keep telling me that.’

“I will tell you that every day of my life, need be.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for bearing with me through this! I promise, the next chapters will be fun and exciting. Or maybe just exciting. 
> 
> You all are the best!


	58. Burc'ya vaal burk'yc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korkie and Anakin come to the aid of Ahsoka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Festivus! Boy, do I have some grievances to air with THIS chapter!
> 
> For a glimpse at the arduous writing process of forcing this chapter into existence, most of the last week+ has been spent screaming at my laptop, avoiding writing this by writing MULTIPLE one shots (some published. Some may be published later), drinking wine, and just being utterly frustrated with the whole situation. The events in this chapter NEEDED to happen, but once I started writing them, I realized that what I thought would be a fun, exciting, action packed romp was actually really hard to write when written from the POV of a side character to the actual protagonist.
> 
> But it slowly took shape, and, honestly, I'm not made about it. I definitely took a sledgehammer to the plot in a few places to MAKE it work, but, well, I don't care. It's still fun, and now the REAL fun can begin. 
> 
> This is long (it probably could have been two chapters, but I'm way more than ready to leave this arc behind me and get us firmly on the path to the end). It may be a bit disjointed. The editing is probably questionable. But it's here! Finally!

_ 19 BBY _

The incessant beeping of his commlink dragged Korkie from his sleep. He felt like he’d only been asleep a matter of minutes, though his chrono showed it was already 0300. Alright. At least it had been a couple of hours. 

He glanced at the comm and almost declined it. It was an unknown channel and he saw no point in speaking with a confused, possibly drunk stranger who had dialed him by accident at this late hour. But the Force poked at him, insistent and aggressive. He sighed, sat up, and activated the device.

Ahsoka’s image flickered to life.

“Korkie! I’m so sorry. I hate calling so late.” The signal was horrible. The image wavered, the audio was staticky and a little garbled. He had had better connections with her from opposite ends of the galaxy, but he had just seen her earlier that day, at the memorial service. He knew she’d be on Coruscant at the very least a few more days.

“Where are you? What’s wrong? You don’t look good.” She didn’t. She looked exhausted, her face pinched and strained, and were those bruises? She was wearing some filthy cloak, pulled low over her montrals and face.

She slumped. “Everything has gone very, very wrong,” she said as she glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder. “I need your help.”

“Of course. Anything! But tell me what’s going on.” He fumbled for clothes as spoke. 

“I….I, uh, have been accused of murdering Letta Turmond. And now I’m on the run, trying to figure out who is framing me,” she said simply, quietly.

Korkie froze. “ _ What?!” _

“It’s a long story, Kork, and I don’t know if I should be talking about it on this thing. But I didn’t! I swear!”

Korkie pulled on a tunic. “Of course you didn’t. I know that. But running?”

“Don’t you start, too, Korkie. No one believes me!” She sounded near hysterical, inconsolable. 

“I do believe you, Soka, I swear. What do you need?”

“A clever friend and maybe a few credits?”

“You got it. Where the kriff are you?”

She rattled off a place to meet on level 1312 and disconnected. Korkie immediately commed Aled as he moved out into the living area.

The Protector answered with a grunt. “ _ Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?”  _ Aled growled into the comm. “It’s 0300, Korkie. What the actual hell?”

“I’m going out. Are you going with me or should I wake someone else?” 

More grunting, a string of surly Mando’a over the comm. “Are you karked in the head? Why are you going out?”

“Ahsoka is in trouble,” Korkie replied simply, moving into the kitchen.

Aled let out a long, irritated sigh. “I’ll be up in a minute. There better be caf for me when I get there, Korkie, if you’re going to drag me out into whatever kind of  _ jetii  _ foolishness we’re about to get into.”

Korkie chuckled. “I’m starting the caf now. But if you’re not here in ten minutes, I’m leaving without you, and you can explain to Tol’ket why I wandered off into the lower levels by myself.”

“Don’t you put that kind of curse on me, Kry-” Korkie flicked off the comm.

Aled made it up from his quarters in five minutes, and they were off, descending rapidly into the depths of Coruscant on a speeder bike. 

“What has the little  _ jetii  _ done that’s dragging us out in the middle of the night?” Aled grumbled over the wind. Korkie didn’t need to see his face to know, despite his absolute hatred of being pulled from his bed, Aled was wide awake and in full Protector mode, scanning the night sky for potential threats.

“She is wanted for a murder she didn’t commit,” Korkie said simply, bracing for the reaction he knew would come.

“ _ What?!”  _ Korkie felt Aled’s hot spike of anger and anxiety both physically and like a punch through the Force. “ _ Gar ru’mirshi _ , Korkie? You can’t get mixed up in  _ osik  _ like this. For, like, a thousand different reasons.”

Korkie swung the bike lower, zipping it along as fast as safety allowed. “She’s my friend. Aled, and I am going to help however I can.”

“You’re the son of the leader of the Council of Neutral Systems. You can’t-”

“Aled, I will drop you off here and do this on my own if you keep this up,” Korkie growled.

A long, weighty pause filled the air between them. Then Aled let out a huff of air. “No, no you’re not doing this on your own, you  _ di’kut.” _

Korkie patted the hand that rested at his waist. “Thanks,  _ ner vod.  _ I know I can always count on you.”

“You make me question all of my life choices, but, yes, I got your back, you asshole.”

Korkie laughed as he moved them into level 1312, slowly motoring their way through the streets, passing signs and displays showing Ahsoka’s wanted poster. Within a few minutes, they had parked the bike and began walking through the dark, dank, grimy streets toward the address Ahsoka had given him. They both kept the cowls of the cloaks they had thrown on pulled low over their faces at Aled’s insistence. As they rounded a corner, Korkie felt the tug of a familiar presence. Turning his head, he spotted Ahsoka’s silhouette a short ways down a dark alley. 

He stopped Aled with a hand to his forearm, then called softly to Ahsoka. She spun around quickly, laid eyes on him, and immediately sprinted to him, surprising him when she jumped into his arms. He hugged her tight, feeling her relief through their bond. “Are you ok?” he whispered.

She pulled away, nodding. “I’ve certainly been better.” She glanced over his shoulder at Aled and smiled. “Thank you, Aled.”

Before Aled could reply, a tall figure appeared out of the dark behind them. “Isn’t this touching?” the figure said in a modulated voice, her face obscured by a mask. From behind Korkie he heard Aled draw and prime his blaster in the span of a heart beat. The masked woman responded by drawing duel  _ red  _ lightsabers. Korkie pulled his own, coiling his muscles for an attack.

“No, stop!” Ahsoka barked.

“ Who the hell is this?” Korkie barked, eyes trained on the woman.

“She’s helping me, Korkie! A friend. Relax, all of you!"

Korkie’s eyes flicked to her, back to the tall, masked woman, then to Ahsoka once more. “ _ Tion kaysh burc’ya?”  _ he confirmed.

“ _ Elek! Burc’ya!”  _ Ahsoka confirmed in her rough Mando'a with an overly enthusiastic nod. “It’s alright, Ventress,” she said, turning to the tall figure. “They’re just Mandalorian.”

“Oh, well that explains everything, doesn’t it?” Ventress said sarcastically as she disengaged her lightsabers and flipped her visor up, revealing a narrow, pretty face and bone pale skin. Korkie followed her example, though still studied her skeptically. Aled was the only one unconvinced.

“ _ Gev,  _ Aled. Relax,” Korkie said, turning to look at his Protector.

“Korkie, isn’t she a Sith?” Aled asked, blaster still pointed at the tall woman. She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

“She’s not a Sith, not anymore, Aled, put the blaster away,” Ahsoka said, stepping up to Aled and pushing the barrel of the blaster toward the pavement.

He snarled, but did as he was told. “I didn’t know you could stop being a Sith.”

Ahsoka smirked at him. “You can stop being a Jedi, can’t you? I believe you know one of those.” Aled glared at her for a long moment, but holstered his weapon. 

“This is a rather touching reunion, but we need to keep moving, Tano,” Ventress said in her husky voice. “Come on. We have to go if we’re going to get to that munitions factory before they catch you.” She turned, moving off into the shadows once again, like a wraith.

Ahsoka gestured with her head to follow, and took off after Ventress. With a shrug to Aled, Korkie followed, Aled close behind. 

“Care to fill me in more on what is going on?” Korkie asked, falling in step beside Ahsoka.

Ahsoka slumped. “It’s all just spiraled out of control and I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

He touched her elbow gently. “Soka, what happened?”

She kept her head down, her cloak falling across her face. “Letta wanted to talk to me. She was going to tell me who was behind the bombing.” She turned her head, and he caught a glimpse of her bright blue eyes. “She was so scared, Korkie. And then someone killed her. Using the Force somehow. Right in front of me.” Her voice was a harsh whisper, and her eyes were wide. He could sense how hard she was fighting her panic. He didn’t blame her. 

“How did you get out?”

Before Ahsoka could answer, a squad of clone troopers rushed from around a corner, trapping them. 

“Listen to me, Wolfe,” Ahsoka said, addressing the commanding officer, raising her hands. “I don’t want to fight.”

Ventress slipped her mask back over her face and assumed a fighting stance. “I do,” she purred.

“We’re taking you in now, Commander,” the commanding officer said gruffly, leveling his blaster at Ahsoka.

“That’s  _ not  _ going to happen. Trust me,” Ahsoka said, sinking down into her own fight stance beside Ventress. Korkie felt Aled shift behind him, readying himself. Korkie breathed deep, and prepared. “Now I’m not going to hurt any of you.” She glanced at Ventress. “ _ We’re  _ not going to hurt any of you. But you’re  _ not  _ taking me in.”

The officer sighed. “Commander, we  _ are  _ taking you in.”

Ventress pulled out her lightsabers, igniting them both with a flourish. “Let’s play,” she said menacingly, and pounced as Ahsoka called to her to stop. Within a moment, she had sliced through multiple blasters. A trooper grabbed Ahsoka in the commotion, but she fought her way loose. 

With a shrug and a wicked grin at Korkie, Aled said “ _ K’oyaci! _ ” and joined in the fray, kicking and punching his way through multiple troopers within the span of seconds. Korkie groaned, but jumped in, too, immediately pulling a trooper off of Ahsoka, while landing a solid kick to another’s stomach.

Korkie knew from experience that clone troopers were skilled, fearsome fighters. He’d had his  _ shebs  _ covered by them in the past. But they were no match for three Force users and a Mandalorian Protector. Within a span of less than a minute, the entire squad was laid out at their feet, incapacitated. Korkie felt sorry for the headaches most would probably have when they woke up.

Ventress flipped her mask up and gave him and Aled an appraising look. “Mandalorians, huh? Remind me to stay on your good sides,” she said with a smirk. She turned to Ahsoka. “Look, I didn’t kill a single one.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes as Ventress pushed past her. Korkie went to follow but Ahsoka grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Korkie, I think I made a mistake asking you to meet me,” she said quietly. 

“What? Of course I’m going to help you,” Korkie said, pulling away to follow Ventress. Ahsoka stopped him.

“No, Korkie. This was foolish and dangerous. I am asking too much of you.”

Korkie couldn’t help but laugh. “When has that ever stopped either of us?”

“Are you coming?” Ventress hissed from down the alley. Ahsoka flashed her a dirty look.

“It’s stopping us this time because if you get caught with me, you’ll be arrested and tried for aiding and abetting. Go home, Korkie.”

“Soka…”

“She’s right, Korkie,” Aled said quietly, tugging on his other sleeve. “It will be a holy mess if we get caught. You  _ know  _ that.”

“Go,” Ahsoka said again, glancing behind him at the fallen troopers.

Korkie slumped his shoulders in resignation. She was right. They both were. He dug through his pocket and pulled out a fistful of credits. “Take this. You’ll need it.”

She held out her hand and he closed his around hers, squeezing. “Please be careful, Soka.”

“I will, now, really, go. Get him out of here, Aled.” She spun on her heel, and jogged off after Ventress. Korkie watched her go until Aled yanked on him more insistently. He went, reluctantly. 

The sky was just starting to be touched with light at the edges as they joined the air traffic of the upper levels. Two troop transport buzzed by, and Korkie let out a groan as he watched them race toward the GAR base. “ _ Manda’ner.  _ They got her.”

Aled leaned over his shoulder, watching the transport. “How the hell can you tell?”

“I just can.”

  
  


“ _ Jetii,”  _ Aled mumbled. Korkie only hummed in response, turning the bike toward Anakin and Padme’s apartment building. “What are you doing, Kork?” Aled asked, realizing where they were headed.

“Getting better help for Ahsoka.”

* * *

  
  


To Korkie’s surprise, Padme and Anakin were up, having been woken early to the news of Ahsoka’s charges and misadventures. 

“Master Koon has asked me to represent Ahsoka in her trial,” Padme told Korkie as he helped her make tea and caf. “Anakin wants to do it, but I keep telling him he’s too emotional about all this.”

Korkie had to agree with Padme. Anakin was distressed at the events that had come about since they had seen Ahsoka the day before at the temple. Even more distressed, it seemed, than Korkie. 

“You saw her, didn’t you?” Padme asked, her voice low, in a conspiratorial tone.

Korkie’s breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t gotten around to telling them that he’d dragged Aled out in the middle of the night to help Ahsoka. Only for her to turn him around and send him away once the reality of what she had asked of him set in.

“I don’t know how to answer that to keep her and me out of trouble,” he finally answered.

Padme laughed as she leaned back against the counter, waiting for the caf to brew, and rubbed her rapidly swelling belly. “Did you commit any crimes?” Korkie fiddled with the teapot, avoiding Padme’s eyes. “Korkie,” she hissed, “what did you do?”

He sighed, and slumped against the opposite counter, finally looking at her. “We beat up a squad of clone troopers.”

“Stang, Korkie,” she groaned quietly. “Just….just tell me what happened. What you know.”

He relented, and ran through the series of events, from Ahsoka’s call, to where they had been headed when intercepted by the troopers, to what little Ahsoka had time to tell him. 

“Last time I saw her, she and Ventress were headed toward level 1315, to some munitions factory,” he finally concluded.

Padme nodded along. “That’s where they finally caught up with- Wait. Did you say Ventress? Asajj Ventress?”

He shrugged. “I guess. I didn’t get her whole name. Tall, skinny, red lightsabers.”

She led him out in the living area and picked up a datapad, punching something into it, before turning it to him to look at. “Is this who was with her?”

Korkie nodded. 

Padme sat down heavily on the sofa, deep in thought. “She’s high up on the Republic’s wanted list. She was allied with Dooku for a long time. Ahsoka knows all this. Why would she work with her?”

“Work with who?” Anakin asked, coming from the bedroom and settling down next to her on the sofa. 

“Ahsoka was with Asajj Ventress according to your brother,” Padme said, as she fixed her cup of tea.

“ _ What?!”  _ he bellowed. “Is she crazy?”

A notification pinged on Padme’s datapad, and she studied it, brow pinched, for a long moment, ignoring Anakin’s question. With a little sound of frustration she looked at him and Korkie. “I need to head to the base. They’re transferring Ahsoka there now. I need to talk to her.” She commed Captain Typho to let him know she’d be leaving.

“Sithspit,” Anakin hissed. Korkie nodded.

She leaned over and kissed Anakin. “I’ll keep you up to speed on what is happening with Ahsoka, alright?”

Anakin nodded and stood, helping Padme to her feet, tenderly laying a hand against her belly. “Tell her we’re with her,” he said, before letting her move away toward the door.

She nodded. “I will.” She turned her gaze to Korkie. “Stay out of trouble. Both of you.” They both smirked and nodded as she disappeared through the door.

There was a long pause after she left, then Anakin smacked Korkie on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Nothing else needed to be said. Korkie jumped to his feet and followed Anakin to the speeder bike he and Aled had left on the balcony.

  
  


They made their way down through the levels, Anakin guiding the speeder bike this time, setting Korkie’s own nerves on edge at the risks he took. It seemed to take much less time to make it all the way down to level 1315, despite the morning traffic.

Before long, they were making their way through the streets on foot, cloaks pulled low over their faces, avoiding security cameras and patrols as much as possible. They moved in the direction of the munitions factory- Padme had commed shortly after they’d left the bike to tell them Ahsoka said Ventress had left her, only to come back and attack her at the factory. Korkie figured Ventress would be long gone, but it was a place to start, at the very least.

They were crossing a narrow catwalk when Korkie saw a familiar silhouette below. He signaled to Anakin, and, wordlessly, they pulled free their lightsabers and leapt to the walkway below.

Ventress must have sensed them, as she dropped and rolled behind them, escaping their onslaught at the last moment. Anakin pivoted, slashing wildly at her, but she produced no weapons. Instead, she called a loose pipe to her, blocking Anakin’s blows, at least momentarily, as his blue blade swiped through the pipe like a hot knife through butter. 

Something tingled at the back of Korkie’s mind.  _ Where _ were her lightsabers? “Anakin,” he called. His brother didn’t hear him, or chose not to. 

Anakin kicked the woman hard, flinging her back. She arrested her crash through the Force, somersaulting to her feet, but Anakin was on her, knocking her to the pavement, pinning her to the ground, lightsaber under her chin. “You framed Ahsoka!” he roared.

“I did no such thing!” Ventress growled back.

“You did! You framed her for the bombing! You killed Letta Turmond! Then you got Ahsoka to trust you!” he bellowed, his face close to hers. Korkie stood frozen, unsure what to do. “I would kill you now if I didn’t need you to to confess to save her.”

Venturess double barrelled him hard with her legs, throwing him off of her. She scrambled to her feet, but made no move to run. She was unarmed, helpless, but she stood her ground. “I didn’t do any of that!” Then she caught sight of Korkie. “You're the Mandalorian from earlier.” He disengaged his blade, nodded.

“Listen,” she said, hands raised to pacify Anakin. “I  _ was  _ going to turn her in. Her bounty could have kept me going for a long time, but then she and I started talking, and I realized that she and I are a lot alike.”

Anakin roared again, pushing into her space, looming over her. “You’re  _ nothing _ like Ahsoka.”

Ventress laid a long, slender hand against Anakin’s chest, pushing him away. “But we are. We’ve both been abandoned by our masters, left to fend for ourselves.” She studied him carefully, glanced at Korkie. “I only wish I had friends like you.”

“Anakin,” Korkie tried again, trying to calm his brother. He stepped behind him, pulling at his elbow. “Ani, she’s telling the truth.”

Anakin was tense, muscles pulled tight under Korkie’s grasp, hard like beskar. He stared at Ventress for a long moment, then relaxed, stepped back, disengaged his own lightsaber. “I know,” he sighed.

Korkie gently pushed Anakin out of the way, stepping in front of Ventress himself. “Did she say  _ anything  _ to you? Before or after I left? Anything at all?”

The woman relaxed, now that Anakin wasn’t looming over her, crossing her arms while she thought. “She called someone else before she called you. A Barriss Offee. She’s the one who told her about the munitions factory.” The name jangled in Korkie’s head. Ahsoka had mentioned her before. They were friends. She was a fellow padawan. “Anything else?”

Ventress shook her head. “No. Nothing else. I got her to the factory, and then parted company. After that, I got attacked, knocked out. Someone stole my lightsabers.”

Korkie exchanged another glance with Anakin. Who could catch this woman, clearly so attuned and comfortable with the Force, off guard? They hadn’t even been able to surprise her. Not really.

“Alright, that’s something, I guess,” Korkie said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Come on, Anakin.” He tugged at Anakin’s arm again, but he pulled away from his grasp, and snarled at Ventress.

“If you’re lying about  _ any  _ of this, I will find you and I will kill you.”

Korkie rolled his eyes, grabbed Anakin more forcefully, and started dragging him away. “No, he won’t. Thank you, Ventress, really.”

“Any time, boys,” Ventress called in farewell, slipping away into the shadows.

“She’s not lying,” Korkie muttered. “We need to find Barriss.”

* * *

  
  


Korkie’s commlink beeped. He’d lost count of how many times. He shut it off again, never taking it out of his pocket. He knew it was Aled. Just like every time Anakin’s went off, it was Fenn Rau. 

They stood side by side, staring at the Jedi Temple from across the grand plaza that buffered it from the city. “Do we just go….ask for her?” Korkie said, running a hand roughly through his hair. “We’re running out of time.”

Anakin sighed, his arms crossed at his chest. “We could just sneak in.”

Korkie laughed. And then realized his brother wasn’t joking. “Anakin, that’s the Jedi Temple. You can’t just  _ walk  _ in there on the best of days. And it was just bombed a few days ago. Security is going to be insane.”

Korkie watched as Anakin took in their surroundings. It was a beautiful day, pleasantly warm with a gentle breeze and bright sun. People were eating lunch all around them. His eyes stopped, and Korkie followed his gaze. A Rodian and a human male sat together, eating their meal, and they were wearing the uniform of the temple maintenance crew.

“Anakin…”

Before he could think, Anakin was moving swiftly toward the duo, smiling broadly. His senator smile, Korkie realized. Something he pulled out when trying to woo another senator into seeing his way. And then Korkie panicked. He really hoped these two didn’t recognize his very recognizable brother.

By the time he caught up, Anakin was greeting the two workers, and, suddenly, much to Korkie’s horror, he waved his hand in front of them. “You  _ will  _ give us your uniforms.”

The Rodian’s antennae twitched. The human cocked an eyebrow, and then laughed, elbowing his companion in the side. “Get a load of this one, Reek. Must be some kind of comedian, trying to act like a kriffing Jedi.” The man chuckled and dug back into his lunch.

Anakin pulled back sharply, seeming to gather his thoughts, then tried again. “You  _ will  _ give us your uniforms,” he said, pressing more with his voice.

The human was less amused now. “Come on, man, bugger off. We’re trying to eat.”

Korkie growled, elbowed his brother out of the way, said a prayer of forgiveness to their ancestors, and did it himself. Smiling softly, he kept his voice calm, low, steady, friendly, but monotone. “You  _ will  _ give us your uniforms.”

They both blinked at him. Once, twice, and then, as if something clicked in their heads, they moved. “We will give you our uniforms.” And they quickly pulled off their vests and handed them their safety helmets.

With a jolt of realization, Korkie turned back to them quickly, and, in the same steady voice, added, “You will give us your access cards.”

They blinked again. “We will give you our access cards.” They each dug into their pockets and produced key cards, handing them to Korkie. 

Korkie spun and began stalking off toward the temple, not looking back at the two who he probably just got fired. He looked at their cards, making a note of their names. Maybe he could get them jobs in the senate building or on campus or….

Anakin wasn’t with him. He turned to see his brother still standing in front of the Rodian and human. “Anakin!” he shouted. Anakin jolted, then shook himself into action, jogging to catch up. 

“How come that worked for you?”

“You were too excited,” Korkie said simply, pulling on a vest. “Don’t be too put out. I hated doing that to them.”

“You’d think the temple would be better at training their civvie staff to resist things like that,” Anakin said, shoving a helmet on.

“Lucky for us, they aren’t.”

Getting into the temple felt too easy, but the Force kept tickling at Korkie’s mind, telling him he was on the right track, somehow. So, he kept pressing forward with this absurd endeavor.

The benefit of having the maintenance workers’ access cards was that they also accessed a database listing quarters assignments, allowing them to find the location of Barriss Offee’s quarters.

“This is too easy,” Korkie muttered as they made their way onto a lift. “Way too easy.” He kept his head bent low, as did Anakin.

“Why are you complaining? This is going great!”

Korkie’s comm went off again. He silenced it again. The lift opened and he followed Anakin toward Barriss’ quarters. Stopping in front of her door, they took steadying breaths, then Anakin hit the call button.

“Enter,” a soft voice called from beyond the door. The door slid open to reveal a Mirialan girl climbing to her feet from in front of a small altar, her lightsaber resting on top of it. She gave them a quizzical look. “I didn’t call for maintenance.”

Korkie pulled off the safety helmet. “We’re not maintenance,” he said. Anakin pulled off his helmet, as well, and shrugged out of the vest.

“Who are you?” Barriss asked, schooling her features into a calm facade. 

“Friends of Ahsoka,” Korkie said, voice calm and measured once more. Prickles of anxiety washed off of Barriss for a moment.

She studied them carefully and then came to a conclusion. “You’re the Mandalorians she talks about.”

Anakin nodded. “We are. We were told you spoke with Ahsoka before she was arrested last night. What did you say to her?”

Barriss shrugged, stepping back away from the altar. “We’ve been friends for a long time, I was only trying to help her.”

Anakin called her lightsaber to him, studying it, as he talked. “What did you tell her? And did you tell anyone else?”

She shook her head, eyes darting between Anakin and Korkie, who stood close to the door, watching his brother carefully. “I thought I had a clue for her, but I really couldn’t tell her anything.” She paused, her brow furrowing. “Who told you I spoke to her?” Her eyes flashed to Korkie again, and he wondered if she knew he had been with Ahsoka, if she knew he had tried to help her in his own way.

“Ventress. She told us.”

Barriss looked puzzled. “Ventress? Isn’t she the one Ahsoka says is really behind all of this?”

Anakin shrugged, looking down at the lightsaber in his hands. “That’s what Ahsoka says, but I think she’s wrong. Ventress thinks someone else is involved.”

“And you believe her?” Barriss was incredulous. “Who else could it be if not her? Surely not Ahsoka.”

Anakin glanced at Korkie, a telling look, letting him know to be prepared. Korkie stepped back, toward the door, but allowed his brother to keep going with whatever  _ this  _ was.

“No, I don’t think it was Ahsoka either. We both think Ahsoka and Ventress are telling the truth.” He sighed, shoulders sagging. Korkie’s hand went to rest on his lightsaber, reading his brother’s thoughts. “But, there’s only one way to find out.” 

In an instant, Barriss’ lightsaber snapped to life in Anakin’s hands, and came clashing against the same dual red blades that Ventress had wielded the night before against the clones. Korkie ripped his saber from his belt and ignited it. “Those are Ventress’ lightsabers!” he called to Anakin.

Anakin beat Barriss back toward the door. “You should have gotten rid of them,” he growled at the girl.

“I think they suit me,” she taunted, pressing into him with both blades. He kicked her, flinging her out the door into the hall, nearly into Korkie had he not neatly stepped aside to allow for her tumble. She leapt to her feet, and sprinted down the corridor, out into the wide, sun filled great hall.

Korkie was to her first, cutting his green blade up, only to have her block it. “Ahsoka trusted you,” he said. “You betrayed her.”

Barriss spun away from his advance. “I have found trust is overrated. The only thing the Jedi council believes in is violence. Much like your own culture, perhaps?” Korkie ignored the provocation, and instead closed the difference between them, slicing the air with his blade, only to have her parry handily.

The fight went on in earnest, then, Anakin by his side, countering and advancing, moving seamlessly with Korkie. Barriss was superbly trained, but the darkness swirled around her, making her formidable skills sharper, faster. 

Anakin pulled out his own lightsaber, handling both with precision, allowing him to match Barris’ fierce Jar’Kai. The battle blazed down the hall, as they leapt and spun, lightsabers clashing, hissing and sparking. Just as Korkie thought they were getting the upper hand, Temple Guards rushed into the hall, calling for them to cease hostilities. Barriss took advantage of the distraction and ran further down the hall, looking for a way of escape, but more Guards flooded in. With a look over her shoulder toward Korkie and Anakin, she leapt through a window, shattering it with Ventress’ blades.

Without hesitation, they flung themselves out after her, landing on a rooftop above a garden, where a group of younglings practiced katas. Their duel continued, Anakin’s aggression beginning to meet Barriss, each strike more brutal than the last. Barriss landed a kick squarely to Anakin’s stomach, pushing him off the roof to the garden below. She followed, and Korkie with her, but it was her and Anakin, brutally slicing at each other, grunting and roaring as they worked tirelessly to overpower the other. 

Korkie stood back, taking a spot beside the elderly master, shielding the children from the brutal battle as best he could. Anakin’s rage became palpable to Korkie, and he wanted to call out, remind him to stay centered, but it would be no use. He was too far into that dark place he sometimes slipped.

As if on cue, Anakin reached out with the Force, caught the girl in an invisible hold, and pushed her, hard, against a nearby tree, pinning her there. She struggled against the grip, fear sullying her face.

“Anakin. Anakin!” Korkie shouted, grabbing Anakin’s arm and shaking him back to reality. Anakin’s hand dropped, his chest heaving from exertion, as the Temple Guards rushed to Barriss, disarming her and putting her in binders.

“Anakin, breathe,” Korkie said quietly, pulling Anakin away from the anger. Anakin blinked rapidly, then he softened, and his eyes focused again. He looked at Korkie. Korkie nodded. Anakin breathed, then nodded back. He was back. He had come back. Stepped away from that darkness. Korkie breathed, too.

* * *

Hours went by. 

Anakin had sent Korkie home when he escorted Barriss to the GAR base, where Ahsoka’s trial was being held. 

They had done it. Ahsoka was cleared of all charges once Barriss had confessed. It was a sour victory, though, and they all felt it, as they ate a light supper together and waited. For what, no one knew. But they waited, nonetheless.

Finally, as they all sat in the living area, Anakin and Korkie drinking  _ tihaar  _ while Padme worked her way through a pot of tea, the door chimed, and Ahsoka walked in. Her cheeks were damp with tears, and exhaustion, grief, and hopelessness washed off of her in wild waves. Padme was to her first, sweeping her into her arms.

“They invited me back,” she said, voice muffled as she spoke into Padme’s shoulder. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back. Not now.”

Anakin gathered her up in his arms next. “That doesn’t matter right now, Snips. What matters is you’re safe.”

She nodded against his chest, fresh tears springing to her eyes. She reached for Korkie, and he went to her instantly, pulling her close to him, tucking her montrals beneath his chin. He rocked her gently, like their father did when they were small and frightened. “What am I going to do?” she whispered. “I don’t know anything else.”

Korkie took a calming breath, and she instinctively matched it. “First, you’re going to eat. Then you’re going to take a long hot shower. I’m sure Padme and Anakin won’t mind.” They made confirming noises. “Then after that, we’ll figure it out. Maybe a trip off world. Mum and Dad would probably love to see you.”

She nodded, sniffing against his chest. “Ok,” she replied.

“Ok,” he repeated. “It’s all going to be ok.”

* * *

  
  


Satine watched Ahsoka disembark from the ship they had sent for her, and her heart broke for the girl. Gone was the confident, cheerful girl that has befriended her sons and graced their home with her good natured teasing and wisdom beyond her years. She was a shell of her former self. Satine figured that was to be expected- the poor child had been through hell and back. 

Ahsoka stopped in front of Satine and Obi-Wan, arms wrapped around herself protectively. "Thank you for inviting me to stay, Duchess," she said quietly, barely raising her eyes.

Satine responded by dragging Ahsoka into her arms and hugging her tightly, cradling her head to her chest. "First of all, call me Satine. Second, I would not see you wandering the galaxy. This is your home for as long as you need it, my dear."

She felt Ahsoka nod against her chest. Satine rubbed her back soothingly before letting her pull back away from the embrace. 

Obi-Wan laid a hand on each shoulder and studied her carefully. "How are you feeling, Ahsoka?" he asked quietly. Satine didn't need the Force to know that was a loaded question, full of special meaning that only these two could share.

Ahsoka studied him with the same sort of regard, and Satine wondered if there was some sort of hidden communicating going between them. Ahsoka finally spoke. "Lost. Scared," she answered simply.

To Satine's surprise, and clearly also Ahsoka's, Obi-Wan embraced the girl. Obi-Wan, while physically affectionate with her and the children, was reserved around others. But that seemed to not apply to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka held to him tightly for a long beat before pulling back. "What do I do now?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, as if the question was aimed at the greater universe. 

Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began moving toward the speeder waiting to take them back to the palace. "Well, Ahsoka, you will have to figure it out." Satine trailed behind them, listening to her husband, watching him. "But, the good news, young one, is, just like when I left the order, you have people who love you and will help you find your place." 

He pulled her closer as they walked, and Satine smiled as Ahsoka rested her head on Obi-Wan's shoulder, already relaxing. "You have me, and Satine, and the boys, and Lily. We will help you sort it all out. But for now, you need a good meal and a long rest." Satine saw Ahsoka nod in acknowledgement as they stepped into the speeder. 

Obi-Wan was good, quite spectacular, actually, at a good many things, Satine mused as she watched him and Ahsoka talk quietly together on the ride to the palace. But the thing she thought he was very best at, the thing she loved about him most dearly, was how remarkable he was at being a father. For his unconditional love, boundless wisdom, tireless protection, and endless good humor. And, without hesitation or question, he gave it all to Ahsoka, just as he did for their other three children. 

Stars, did she love this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know most of you saw this coming. Instead of having more babies, Satine and Obi-Wan just adopted a 17 year old former padawan. Satine's been threatening to do just that for awhile now, anyway! She's a happy mom.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> "Burc'ya vaal burk'yc." A friend in need.  
> "Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?" Are you looking for a smack in the face, mate?  
> "Gar, ru’mirshi?" Were you brained?  
> "Tion kaysh burc’ya?" They're/she's a friend/ally?  
> "Gev." Stop it, stand down, pack it in.
> 
> So many, many thanks to all the readers, commenters, and kudo button smashers. You all really are just amazing. And overwhelming. Literally. I've been making my way through my neglected inbox for the last couple of days. If you haven't seen a reply from me yet, know I have read your comment!
> 
> Hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!!!
> 
> Now...who's ready to bring this all to an end?????


	59. Good Soldiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka bonds on Mandalore, while Korkie and Anakin see an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! Da da daaaa da! Da da da da daaaaaa!!!!!
> 
> Some may notice a final chapter count. It isn't set in stone, but I actually am working off of a loose outline for once in my life for this last bit, and this is where the outline has us ending up, for now. 
> 
> Thanks for all the love on the last chapter! It really made all the heartache and headaches and struggle worth it! This chapter was NOT a struggle, and I am SO excited to be heading down this path. Terrified....but excited!

_ 19 BBY _

Bo-Katan’s head snapped back at the force of the left hook that collided with her cheek, her teeth clacking together at the impact. She grinned. The little  _ jetii  _ was an absolutely ruthless sparring partner, and she made Bo feel like a kid again.

Bo kicked, high and hard, catching Ahsoka square in the chest and causing the girl to stumble backwards. But she was feline and graceful, and her stumble turned into an effortless backflip, moving herself out of Bo’s reach. She grinned back at Bo. They circled each other, looking for holes in each other’s defenses.

Bo waited, testing both their patience, knowing this girl could outlast her.  _ Should  _ outlast her. But Ahsoka’s blood was up, too, and she attacked viciously, a fury of punches and kicks. Bo blocked and countered and weaved until she caught Ahsoka’s wrist in a vice like grip, and spun them both, locking Ahsoka’s arm tight behind her back. She should have known better, should have seen it coming, because the next moment, she was being flung over Ahsoka’s montrals, hitting the mats with such force it knocked the wind out of her lungs. Ahsoka was on her, a knee at her throat.

“Yield?”

“I yield,” Bo weazed out, chuckling. Ahsoka smiled, hopped lightly to her feet, and offered Bo a hand up. 

They walked to a bench and sprawled next to each other, sweating and panting from the spar. They'd been going at it, Bo realized, for the better part of an hour, but her body, while exhausted, sang with the joy of exertion. 

Bo had made a point, over the last couple of weeks, to spend time with the girl, distracting her from her rudderless feelings, and had grown increasingly more fond of her by the day. She now truly understood why the boys had gone to such risks for her, and why her sister and brother-in-law had, immediately and without question, brought her to Mandalore. Bo had quickly come to the conclusion that she would do anything for this girl.

She leaned back against the wall, breath finally evening out, and took a long drink of water before speaking. "You know, Ahsoka, I've been thinking."

The girl made a little humming sound in response as she drank from her own water bottle, her own head tipped against the wall.

"I could use a soldier as experienced as you with my people." It gutted Bo that this seventeen year old girl was an experienced soldier, a leader of trained soldiers, but there was no denying the girl's history. "You're a little young for Death Watch right now, but, when you're old enough, I would love to have you."

A sad, distant look crossed Ahsoka's face, and she looked down at her hands, worrying at a cuticle. "I am honored, Bo-Katan, but I'm not sure that's something I can accept."

"Oh?" 

Ahsoka sighed heavily. "I feel like all I've known is fighting and war. And, well, I was never meant for it. I was a Jedi. I was supposed to be a peacekeeper." Her frustration and sadness colored her voice, all but shouting the last few words.

Bo felt a deep pang of kinship with the young woman. Bo had been fighting her entire life, and it seemed unlikely to change. "I understand. It seems all I am good at is fighting and war." She gave the girl’s forearm a gentle squeeze. "But the offer stands, should you change your mind."

Ahsoka looked up, smiling sadly, and started to say something, when she made a little noise of surprise. She pointed at Bo’s cheek. “Oh, Bo, you’re bleeding.”

Bo dabbed at her cheek with her fingers, and flinched at the sharp, deep sting. She pulled her fingers back to see them slicked with blood. Ahsoka must have split her cheek with that hell of a left hook. Bo huffed out a laugh. “Not the first time that’s happened. Certainly won’t be the last.” She dabbed at it again, this time with a towel.

“At least let me patch you up,” Ahsoka said, looking around the empty gymnasium for signs of medical supplies. 

Bo waved her off, pressing the towel to her cheek. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it later…”

The door on the far end of the gym opened, and Tol’ket strode in, a small travel bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled broadly when he caught sight of her and Ahsoka. 

“Hello, ladies,” he called, crossing the room to them. His eyes settled on Bo and went wide, and she knew instantly he saw the blood. She dabbed at the cheek again and realized blood was trickling down her face. She must have been quite the sight to welcome him home with. 

“Bo-Katan, playing too rough?”

Ahsoka grimaced. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. Maybe hit just a little too hard.”

Bo rolled her eyes. “It’s  _ my  _ fault for keeping my kriffing face in the path of your crazy left hook.”

He dropped his bag at her feet and tipped her chin up with his finger, forcing her to look up at him from where she sat. He tilted her head to the side to get a better look. “Well done,  _ jetii’ika.  _ It’s not every day someone can land a hit like that on Lady Bo-Katan.” He smiled at Bo and gave her a wink. 

“She won’t let me patch her up,” Ahsoka replied, then glanced at the chrono on the wall. “Oh stars. I have to go. I promised Lily I would help her on her history project.” She looked apologetically at Bo. “Sorry again, Bo.”

Bo shook her head in amusement. “It was an honor to be so soundly trounced by you, Ahsoka. Go help Lily.”

Ahsoka smiled and jogged out, as Tol’ket looked back down at her. “Stay there.” He walked to a small cabinet near the equipment storage and produced a med pack.

“I can take care of this at home,” Bo said in protest as he sat down next to her and opened the kit. “I’m sure you have things you need to catch up on.”

“ _ K’uur _ . The longer you wait to clean this and get some bacta on it, the more likely it is to scar.” She huffed out a little exasperated sigh, but relented as he ripped open a cleaning swab. She wrinkled her nose at the sting as it met the cut, but focused on the warmth of his hand steadying her instead.

“How was Coruscant?” she asked, distracting herself while he worked.

He grunted. “It was...Coruscant. Fenn and Aled both thought they were getting sacked, so I lectured both the boys about being reckless and the whole point of having Protectors in front of them for an hour.” 

Bo chuckled at that. “And the Jedi? What’s to happen with the boys and their escapades through the temple?”

Tol’ket’s hands fell away from her face as he rummaged for bacta. “I don’t know what magic your brother-in-law worked, but they got off with a sizable donation to the relief fund for the bombing victims and their families, and some volunteer work.” His hands returned to her face, but he paused, looking her in the eyes with amusement. “Did you know you could volunteer at the Jedi Temple?”

She shook her head no. “Well, the boys are, at least for a while. I don't know how old Obi-Wan pulled that off.” He chuckled, then fell silent, focused on his ministrations to her cheek. After a moment, he looked her in the eyes again. “I missed you, Bo.”

She laughed lightly. “You were only gone four days.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you.”

“We don’t even see each other every day.”

His hands and eyes fell away, moving to put the med pack back together. “I just like knowing we’re in the same system, at the very least.”

She watched him work, smiling softly. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

He hummed a little in response. “I do.” Med pack tidied away, he tipped her head up with a finger again, admiring his handy work. Then he gently brushed a thumb over the edge of her eyebrow, where she knew a scar was half hidden, a curious look in his eyes. “I’ve never noticed this before. Where is it from?”

“Pre,” she said quietly, simply.

The mere mention of the name packed enough meaning for him that a cloud of anger passed across his face. He smoothed his thumb gently over her brow again, the physical touch far softer and sweeter than the look of murder he wore for the briefest of moments. “ _ Demagolka,”  _ he muttered.

She pulled his hand away from her face, squeezing it with both of hers as she rested it in her lap. “I know, Tol’ket, I know.”

His other hand wrapped around hers, forming a tight knot of hands in her lap. His face softened, relaxed, and he looked her in the eyes once again, the faintest of smiles ticking up the corner of his lips. “Bo, I-”

A door slammed open. “Aunt Bo!” Lily shouted across the room, startling them both. Then Tol’ket began to laugh. A deep laugh, from down in his belly, a beautiful sound that caused Bo to laugh, too. The sheer ridiculousness of this unending dance they couldn’t seem to break free of was too much not to inspire some amount of hysterics. 

He untwined their fingers and shook his head in wry amusement. “One of these days, Bo.”

She smirked at him, catching his eye. “Yes. One of these days.” Then she turned her full attention to Lily, Ahsoka on her heels.

She feigned a very stern face, cocking an eyebrow at Lily. "Lily Bo," she said sharply, her tone serious and formal. Lily slid to a stop with surprise, and Tol'ket choked on a suppressed laugh. 

Lily glanced at him, clearly trying to interpret how serious her aunt's tone really was. "Hi, Aunt Bo," she started again, more politely. "Soka and I have a question."

Bo glanced up at Ahsoka, who was watching the whole interaction with boundless, quiet amusement. "Go on," Bo prodded.

"Well, I'm working on a history project and I need to know what the longest Mandalorian conflict was and Korkie isn’t here and Dad is already in a meeting."

Bo leaned back against the wall, stretching her legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. Her hands went behind her head, cradling it against the hard, duracreet wall. "Isn't that what all those datapds and holodiscs are for? To look that stuff up?"

“That's what I said," Ahsoka exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Lily ignored Ahsoka. "Yeah, but you were right here, and I was just outside, so…." She looked at her pleadingly.

"And why do you think I know this?" Bo flicked her eyes to Tol'ket, who was watching the exchange with amused wonder.

"Because you once told me history was your favorite subject in school." Bo smirked at her. She  _ had  _ told her that. Clearly the kid did have the capability of remembering some things. "Also, Ursa says you watch a lot of history documentaries on the holonet and all you read is history books...when you're not reading trashy novels." She added the last part in a rush, half under her breath, and it caused Tol'ket to roar with laughter once again. 

Bo was going to murder Ursa. It wasn't a lie, but she'd murder her all the same. Bo blinked a long slow blink. "Alright, fine. You win. The longest Mandalorian conflict was the Minor Skirmish of the Lesser Zaz Clan of the Fourth Moon of Teth."

Tol'ket sucked in breath. "How in all karking hells do you just  _ know  _ that off the top of your head?"

Bo waved at Lily. "For all the reasons she said. I like history. And that's a good bit of trivia." She turned back to the girls. "Do you know how long it lasted?"

"A long time."

Tol’ket chuckled. Bo scrubbed a hand across her face. “ _ Wayii.  _ One hundred years, Lily. It lasted one hundred years.”

Ahsoka barked out an astonished laugh. “Mandalorians fought a one hundred year war and you don’t remember that, Lily?”

This time Bo laughed. “Lily, go teach Ahsoka about the Minor Skirmish so she can find out just how idiotic our people can be.”

Lily groaned. “Oh, come on, Aunt Bo. I  _ know  _ you know all about it. Can’t you tell us?”

Bo stood, spinning Lily around by the shoulders, and draped an arm over each girls’ shoulders as she walked them toward the exit back toward the palace. “I  _ do  _ know all about it, but, you’re going to have to list your sources, and ‘I asked Aunt Bo’ is not going to be an acceptable source.” She shoved Lily gently toward the door, winked at Ahsoka as she followed. “Go. Do the work, Lily.”

Lily groaned again, but went obediently, Ahsoka chuckling as she waved goodbye behind her. 

Bo turned back toward Tol’ket, who still sat on the bench, looking amused.

“The Minor Skirmish. Is that the one where everyone forgot they were fighting? They had to sign an armistice at a wedding or something?”

Bo chuckled as she picked up her water bottle and towel. “That’s the one.”

He shook his head. “Will you ever cease to amaze me?” he asked, as he rose to his feet, carrying the med pack back to its home in the cabinet.

“Let’s hope not,” she said, quietly, watching him. She had to go. She had fifteen minutes before a meeting with Satine and her cabinet, and she still needed to make herself presentable. But she felt compelled to stay, to be back in Tol’ket’s space. She knew if she fell into his orbit again, she’d probably never be able to get loose from it again.

He turned back, his eyes flicking to the chrono, then settling on her, warm and intense. He sighed. “You better go, Bo,” he said, as if reading her mind. She nodded, but felt rooted to the floor. “Another time,” he added, softer. He didn’t move. He seemed to feel the same pull she did, and, like her, resisted it, fearing he’d never break free of it if he didn’t.

Bo finally pulled her eyes free of his and stiffened her spine, drawing herself up to her full height. “Another time, Tol’ket.” She smiled sadly, then turned, and left out the door she’d sent Lily and Ahsoka through.

She felt his eyes follow her, even after the door slid shut behind her.

* * *

Korkie was bone weary. It had been a long time since he had felt this level of tiredness. He knew he should drag himself up off of Anakin’s sofa and go home, if for no other reason than he reeked of sweat, smoke, and engine oil and thus desperately needed a shower and clean clothes. But the sofa was comfortable, the race they were watching was getting exciting, and the  _ tihaar  _ was working loose his achy muscles.

They had spent the day in the temple hangar, assisting with the clean up, as promised by their father, who, by some miracle, had kept both he and Anakin out of deeper trouble with both the Jedi and the Senate. Korkie wasn’t really sure  _ what  _ the typical punishment for breaking into the Jedi Temple  _ and  _ accosting a Jedi in their own quarters was, actually (even if said Jedi had been a criminal), but he was pretty sure it wasn’t an anonymous donation to a fund set up for the temple bombing victims and one hundred hours of volunteer work. He was perfectly happy to accept the punishment their father had worked out on their behalf. 

Padme had gone to bed early, leaving Korkie and Anakin to entertain themselves. Considering their shared exhaustion, entertaining themselves meant they had sprawled on the sofa and were sharing a bottle of  _ tihaar,  _ trying to forget about their day.

Which meant the late evening door chime came quite by surprise to both of them, shaking them from their stupors. 

"What the hell?" Anakin grumbled, climbing to his feet to answer the door. Whoever it was must not have been much of a concern, if they had managed to get past both Protectors and Captain Typho's guards, but Korkie did not miss Anakin calling his lightsaber to him as he walked to the door. Korkie stood and did the same.

The door slid open and revealed a familiar face.

“Rex?” Anakin said in shock. 

Korkie set his saber back down next to the bottle of  _ tihaar  _ as Anakin gestured for Rex to enter. It had been ages since Korkie had seen the man, and it was clear the war was taking its toll on him. But, beyond that, a certain new level of grief washed off of him.

“I’m sorry to bother you at home, especially this late, Anakin,” Rex was saying as he walked in, glancing around the room. “But it’s the first chance I’ve had to come see you, and I didn’t want to talk in the Senate building during the day tomorrow.”

Anakin gave Rex a puzzled look, then glanced at Korkie, who waved off the holoscreen. “What’s going on Rex? I didn’t even know you were on Coruscant.” He motioned for Rex to take a seat, and the man sat stiffly in an armchair, looking vastly uncomfortable to be in such accommodations. Korkie went to the wet bar and retrieved another glass, wordlessly pouring the trooper a drink. If ever someone looked like they needed a stiff drink, it was Rex in this moment.

Rex gave Korkie a nod of thanks, and slung back the booze. He glanced around again. “Is Senator Amidala around?”

Anakin shook his head. “She’s worn out from hauling our monster of a baby around. She’s in bed.”

Rex paled and started to get up. “I’ll come b-”

Korkie pressed him back down in his chair. “What’s wrong, Rex?” He filled Rex’s glass again, then sat back down on the sofa, Anakin following suit.

Rex let out a long breath, as if he’d been holding it for hours. Days even. “Fives was killed tonight by Commander Fox.”

Anakin blanched. “Fives? Blast, Rex, what the hell?”

Korkie remembered Fives, from his brief time with the 501st; remembered him being kind and fearless. But Anakin had spent more time with those troopers, knew them a bit better than Korkie could ever hope to, and his sudden shock was palpable as it swirled in the Force between them.

Rex rubbed the back of his head, seeming almost shy. “It’s a long story, I’m afraid.”

Anakin motioned to the bottle of  _ tihaar.  _ “We have plenty more. Go on, what happened to Fives?”

Rex knocked back another glass. “It started with Tup. We were on Ringo Vinda and he went crazy. He attacked and killed General Tiplar.” Korkie exchanged a long look with Anakin. The clones had always seemed to love the Jedi. They had seen it first hand. “He was out of his mind, ranting about ‘good soldiers follow order.’ Fives knew he’d been having nightmares, but, ah, hell, we all have them. No one thought twice about it.

“Ultimately, after a load of bantha shit, Tup got sent back to Kamino, with Fives going along to watch over him. From there, I only know the little bit Fives was able to tell me and what reports I could find, but, before Tup died, Fives somehow managed to find chips in both their brains. Tup’s was corrupted. I...I guess that’s why he went crazy.”

“Are you sure about this, Rex?” Anakin asked, his face set hard as he twisted his own glass in his hands.

Rex shrugged. “As sure as I can be, really. Fives was out of his mind with paranoia by the time I caught up with him tonight. The Chancellor accused Fives of trying to kill him.” Rex made a scoffing noise. Korkie seconded it. The idea that a clone trooper would attack the Chancellor, of all people, was ludicrous. “But, I  _ know  _ Fives. He wasn’t crazy, he wasn’t delusional. He was scared. There’s chips in all of us, and I think, from what Fives was trying to say, I think there’s something deeper going on. He was trying to tell me about something bigger.”

Anakin stood, started pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. “What’s the official story?”

Rex laughed a humorless, angry laugh. “A parasite we picked up on Ringo Vinda. They’ve already started ‘inoculating’ those of us who were there.”

“You don’t agree,” Korkie said, studying Rex closely.

Rex shook his head. “Whatever happened to Tup- it was like he wasn’t Tup anymore- it had something to do with that damn chip, and I’m afraid it’s going to happen to all of us.” He poured himself another glass of  _ tihaar _ , drinking it slower this time, though his knuckles were white against the glass as his grip tightened around it.

Korkie looked up at Anakin, who had ceased his pacing in front of the balcony. He stood with his back to the room, hands still clasped at the small of his back. His body was rigid. His emotions and thoughts were shielded up tight, but even still, Korkie knew his brother well enough to know he was deeply distressed.

“I see why you didn’t want to come see me in my office, Rex,” Anakin finally said. “This is something we need to treat very carefully.”

Korkie studied his brother. “Do you know something about this, Anakin?”

Anakin turned, shaking his head, and walked back to where his glass was sitting on the table. “No. I don’t know anything. But I...I have some ideas I want to follow up on.”

Korkie scowled. “Like what?”

“Nothing you need to worry about right now, Korkie. Let me handle it.” He turned to Rex. “Same to you, Rex, ok? I’m going to do some digging on this. But if you think of anything else, let me know.”

Rex nodded, making an affirmative grunt, and rose to his feet. “Thank you, Anakin. You, too, Korkie. It’s a relief knowing my brothers and I have allies in the Senate.”

“Anything for you, Rex. You’re all but family at this point,” Anakin said, patting the man on the pauldron and giving him a tight smile. 

They moved toward the door together, but Rex paused, a sad look passing across his face. “Speaking of family, how is Commander Tan- uh, Ahsoka?”

Anakin smiled more genuinely this time. “She’s well, Rex. A little sad, but doing well. I know she misses you all.”

Rex smiled a soft, sad smile. “Well, we miss her.” He closed the distance to the door. “Tell her I asked about her.”

“Absolutely.”

With that, Rex disappeared out the door, and Anakin turned back into the room, scrubbing both hands roughly over his eyes. 

“What are you thinking?” Korkie asked, rising to his feet.

“Don’t worry about it right now.”

“Anakin…”

“Listen, Korkie, I don’t want to pull you into all of this. Not yet, alright?”

Korkie frowned. “Pull me into what? You refuse to tell me anything. Come on, Anakin. You’ve been weird for weeks, and this seemed to have really upset you.”

“Korkie, I….” He paused, growled a bit, then shook his head. “Trust me.”

“ _ Manda’ner,”  _ Korkie growled as he clicked his commlink, letting Aled know he was ready to head back to his own building. “Fine. Whatever. But I don’t like this.”

Anakin’s face went dark and stony for a moment, then fell to a sad resolve. “Neither do I.”

* * *

  
  


Two days later, Korkie slipped into Padme’s office on a rainy afternoon.

“Korkie!” she said in surprised delight. “Are you here for something official?” She rose to her feet with a bit of effort, her rapidly growing belly quickly starting to dwarf her petite frame.

“Nothing official,” he said with a smile, kissing her cheek as she hugged him. “Is my niece treating you alright today?” he asked, gesturing at her belly. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach, and he felt both the physical presence of the baby as she squirmed against his hand, as well as her shining light through the Force. 

“She’s being fairly cooperative today, thank the stars,” Padme said with a laugh, tugging his hand to guide him to her sofa. “What brings you here, if not official business?”

His smile fell away, and he looked down at their hands. He sighed. “It’s about Anakin.”

She pulled her hand away, folding hers together in her lap. “Oh,” she breathed. “You’ve noticed it, as well?”

He sagged with relief. “It’s not just me?” She shook her head. “He’s acting strange, right? Secretive, almost? Sad? Angry, even.” 

Padme nodded. “Yes. All of that. He’s not been sleeping. Well, you know that. But he’s distant, and constantly digging through old archives and records. Running off to meetings that he won’t tell me about. When you’re not around to distract him, he’s like a man obsessed.” She looked out the window at the dark, rain heavy skies. “But he refuses to tell me  _ what  _ has him so obsessed.”

Korkie nodded solemnly. It sounded similar to everything he’d been witness to. “I’ve gotten more worried since Rex’s visit the other night,” he said quietly.

She hummed a bit in response. “Yes. He’s been worse. I don’t think he’s slept at all. If he _ is _ sleeping, it’s restless.” She paused for a moment, lips pursed. “Have you spoken with your father?”

He shook his head. “I wanted to while he was here, but his visit was so quick, and so much of it was spent with the council. And our schedules never line up, it seems, for a holocall.” He looked at her, saw the worry etching her face as she gently rubbed her belly, as if soothing her unborn baby. “But I will, Padme, I will talk to our father. Get his advice.”

She sniffed, her face pinched as she fought back tears. “Please do, Korkie. I’m so worried for him.”

He squeezed her hand. “I know. I am, too, Padme. We’ll figure out how to help him.”

* * *

  
  


Anakin sat on the edge of the bed and watched his wife sleep. She had been exhausted the last few weeks, and it concerned him. 

Well, it more than concerned him.

It terrified him.

The dreams had started soon after they had found out she was pregnant. At first, they’d been innocuous enough. He’d chalked them up to panic dreams over becoming a father. His own father talked about the dreams he had had, not only before Korkie and Lily were born, but even in the weeks between meeting Anakin and bringing him home to Mandalore. Of course he would be nervous about being a father. Who wouldn’t be?

But the dreams had gotten progressively worse, passing from dream into nightmare, and, from there, into the same painful realness he had experienced before his mother’s death. They were full of screams of agony and the wailing of a baby. Tears and pain. Emotions flooded the dreams- terror, mostly, but anger and betrayal. They were brutal and intense and pointed to one thing- Padme was going to die. And maybe the child, too.

And it terrified him.

But beyond the terror and exhaustion that now seemed to be permanent fixtures in his life, something else tickled at the back of his mind. Simmered in his gut. And the words his father had spoken to him, over a year ago now, echoed nearly constantly through his mind-  _ trust your instincts. _

So, he had. 

And now Anakin faced the crossroads his instincts had led him to. 

So, he watched his beautiful wife, his angel, sleep for a few more minutes. Then he rose quietly, though he knew she slept too deeply to really be disturbed, and made his way to his workbench in the back of their apartment. He made the final preparations to the courier droids he would send off, encrypted seven ways to Life Day. He sent a prayer to the Force and to his ancestors that the messages buried in the guts of each of the droids would arrive safely and in time. He would deliver the ones headed off world to a transport. The others would find their ways on their own.

Then, he gathered a few things, returned to the bedroom, clipped his lightsaber to his belt, then knelt down next to Padme. Brushing the hair from her face, he kissed her forehead. 

“I love you, angel,” he whispered. “I’m doing this for you. For the baby.” He rested a hand on her belly and felt the baby leap at him. How that didn’t wake her up he would never understand. “I’m doing this for everyone.” He kissed her forehead again, and each of her cheeks, then one more to her belly. “I love you, too, bright one.”

Then, before he lost his resolve, before his courage failed him, he gathered his remaining courier droids, and vanished into the night.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave Rex, or tried to give Rex, a little more info than what he got in TCW. Not all of it, he's still working off his gut, but I'm going with the thought that Fives told him more before dying. Here's my "It's an AU" card.
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> Demagolka- someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster, a war criminal (yes. Tol'ket hates a dead man THAT much).
> 
> Excited to hear your comments....bracing for noise about Bo'ket. They know, friends, they are in on the joke. They realize that this is getting ridiculous, too. 
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you!!!
> 
> PS- Don't try to look up the Minor Skirmish of the Lesser Zaz Clan of the Fourth Moon of Teth. It is utter nonsense made up for me on the Obitine Discord channel. But it's canon now!


	60. Breathe in. Breathe out.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family deals with Anakin's mysterious disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I didn't plan on acts of sedition and treason to be something that would upset my writing mojo this week. I mean, I was distracted enough as it was, but that threw me for a loop I was NOT expecting (I mean, I had imagined it in my worst case scenarios before) and what should have been finished and ready by Thursday is now finally being shared on Saturday evening. So be it. We do what we can, right?
> 
> If this reads disjointed, I do apologize, but I have literally been writing it for 10 days (I started it almost as soon as I shared the last chapter), and I literally forgot where I was a few times. I did re-read it, start to finish, and it seems good to me. Please forgive editing errors....I tried to find them all in one read through....and that's really never enough. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience and all your amazing comments! I promise I will be getting to them all over the next couple of days.

_ 19 BBY _

Korkie yawned ferociously. This class was too early on the very best days, but after his restless night of sleep, full of weird dreams when he  _ did  _ sleep and a grating sense of foreboding when woke from the dreams, this class was proving brutal this particular morning.

Aled, sitting next to him, elbowed him, then held out his cup of caf. Korkie took it gratefully. “ _ Vor’e, vod,”  _ Korkie whispered.

Aled grunted in reply, also suffering from the early morning, and returned his attention to the instructor, studiously taking notes.

While he was working as Korkie’s Protector, it had been decided to keep Korkie’s identity as the son of the Duchess of Mandalore on a need to know basis. With that in mind, Aled had taken on the role of fellow student alongside Korkie, working undercover (and still armed to the teeth, if you knew where to look), seeing as stalking around the campus in beskar would defeat the purpose of anonymity. 

Korkie joked that Aled was the winner in this situation- getting an education on Mandalore’s credit. Aled like to point out that he hadn’t ever planned on studying diplomacy and galactic government. But, he studied hard, nonetheless.

Korkie was glancing over Aled’s shoulder at the notes on his datapad, double checking he hadn’t missed anything, when he felt his commlink buzz silently against his chest, tucked away in his jacket. He went to silence it without checking to see who the caller was, when the Force seemed to nudge him urgently. He relented and pulled it out. It was Padme. Odd.

He quietly got up from his seat, Aled looking up at him curiously. He just shook his head in response, and snuck out of the lecture hall, relieved to have sat far in the back. 

“Padme?” 

“Korkie! Thank the stars!” she sounded frantic, like she’d been crying.

“Padme, what is it?”

“Have you seen Anakin?” she asked, a sob clearly held back with all her willpower.

Korkie felt like he’d swallowed a stone. “I haven’t seen him since I was at your place the other night,” he told her. “Why?”

“He’s  _ gone,  _ Korkie. He must have left in the middle of the night-”

“Padme, I’m sure he’s not  _ gone.  _ It’s early. Maybe he’s sparring with Fenn. There’s no reason to be hysterical.”

“I am  _ not  _ hysterical, Korkie Jinn!” Padme’s voice flared with anger, and he shrunk back at the admonishment, properly chastened, even though she couldn’t see him. “I have already talked to Fenn and Gregar, and no one has seen him since he came home last night.”

“Is he maybe at the Senate building?” Korkie asked, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing, now. No one would ever say that he was not one to learn from his mistakes, and he would  _ not  _ call his sister-in-law hysterical ever again.

“I’m here now. He’s not here. There’s no sign of him.” A sob finally broke through, and Korkie suddenly thought about the dreams and feelings he suffered through the night before.

“Alright, Padme, alright. I’m coming to you. We’ll find him.” He turned to move back to the lecture hall, only to startle when he found Aled standing outside the door, both their bags over his shoulder, as if he had a sixth sense that they wouldn’t be staying for the whole lecture.

“Thank you, Korkie,” Padme replied, her voice thick and heavy with tears. 

“Be there soon.” He clicked the comm off and looked at his Protector.

“What is it?” Aled asked.

“Anakin is missing.”

* * *

  
  


Korkie stormed into Padme’s office, Aled on his heels, a short time later. She sat on her sofa, face red from crying, Bail Organa next to her, making them both tea. Fenn Rau paced the length of the windows, muttering into his commlink.

Korkie sat down next to Padme. “We got here as quickly as we could. Any news?”

Padme shook her head. “It’s like he evaporated right out of our apartment.” She motioned toward Rau. “Fenn has every Protector on Coruscant looking for him.”

“Have we reached out to the authorities yet?” Korkie asked as he helped himself to the tea service, motioning to Aled to see if he wanted any. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

Bail cleared his throat and spoke then. “Unfortunately, the authorities won’t do anything for another full day. We’re left searching for him on our own.”

Korkie barked out a humorless laugh. “That’s absurd. He’s a kriffing senator, not to mention the family he belongs to.”

Bail nodded. “I agree, but that’s how things work here. There are many people on Coruscant from important families, Korkie.”

Korkie sighed heavily. “And there was nothing from him? No note?”

Padme shook her head again. “Gone. Lightsaber, a few other small things. No clothes. I don’t know if he planned to come back last night and something happened or-” She stifled a fresh wave of sobs, and Korkie gathered her into an embrace.

Korkie looked over Padme’s head at the senator from Alderaan. “Does anyone else know of this?”

Bail shook his head. “Besides security, no, it’s just me.” 

Korkie nodded, glancing up at Fenn Rau as he quit his pacing and ended his comm call. “ _ Su cuy’gar,  _ Korkie. For the record, I feel it is better if we keep this matter a Mandalorian matter, at least for the time being.”

Padme pulled away from Korkie. “Why should we not take advantage of the resources available to us?”

The man took a deep breath, as if steadying himself, then let it out in a swift gust. “Senator Amidala, this family has a penchant for being reckless.” He gave her a pointed look, one she chose to ignore. “I would prefer to find Anakin, or have him turn back up, then set the Republic’s resources on him, only to find out he’s done something...particularly Clan Kryze.” This time he leveled his gaze at Korkie, but Korkie held it, unapologetic for his most recent transgressions.

Padme pulled out a soft handkerchief, dabbing at her face, before looking at Korkie, absently rubbing her belly. “What do you think, Korkie?”

He considered it for a long moment, thinking back on his brother’s behavior the past few weeks. His edginess and disturbed sleep patterns. He nodded slowly. “I was all set to pull in the Coruscanti guard at first, but what Fenn says makes sense. Anakin is a Mandalorian problem. Let’s fix it with Mandalorian solutions. Or, at least try.”

Rau grunted. “Good. We’ll keep our search up for now. When you’re ready, Korkie, I’ll be happy to go over with you our strategy.”

Korkie nodded at the man. “Does Anakin have anything important today that we need to reschedule or cancel? Have we talked with Mij yet?”

Padme shook her head.

“Alright. I’ll head there next. Let’s say he has a touch of the stomach flu. That’s believable, yes?”

Padme chuckled quietly. “The way he eats, yes, believable.”

Korkie offered her a knowing smirk. “Good. Bail, will you help keep the heat off of us while we sort this out?”

Bail stood, Korkie with him, to see him to the door. “Absolutely. However else I can help, even canvasing the streets, I will help. Just let me know.”

Korkie bowed slightly. “Thank you, Bail. You have always been a true friend to our family.  _ Vor entye, ner vod.” _

Bail bowed back. “You have no debt here, my young friend. Keep me posted.” With that, he slipped out into the busy corridor. 

Korkie spun back around, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Alright, Fenn, let’s see what we have.”

* * *

  
  


Korkie moved down a dim street, back on level 1312, Aled and several other Protectors spread out nearby, quietly canvasing the citizens. It was getting late into the evening, and Korkie’s feet were starting to ache. 

He’d come down here, hoping to search out the Ventress woman that had helped Ahsoka, and who Anakin had threatened. Maybe he had come back down, spoken to her again. But the woman was nowhere to be found. Probably long gone, off the planet itself. She didn’t seem like one to stay in one place long.

Aled approached, two disposable caf cups in his hand. He held one out to Korkie. “It will absolutely rot your gut, but it’s better than falling asleep on your feet. I put all of their sugar in it for you.”

Korkie chuckled, and raised his cup in mock salute. “Oya, then, I suppose.” He took a sip and grimaced. “Karabast.” He didn’t really care for caf under the best of circumstances, but this was like drinking bitter mud, even with the bountiful amounts of sugar. But, Aled was right. They were all tired. Any port in a storm. He braced himself and took another sip. And grimaced again. 

Aled laughed. “Toughen up, Kryze.”

Korkie ignored him. “Any luck, from anywhere?”

“Nope. None. I asked a few vendors about Ventress, too, hoping maybe someone had seen her and could point us in her direction.” He shrugged while he took a swig of his caf, wrinkling his nose as it hit his tongue. “Sounds like she cleared out shortly after that mess with Ahsoka.”

Korkie growled in frustration. “I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’d really hoped….”

Aled patted him on the shoulder as they walked down the street together. “I know, Kork. We’ll find him. I’m sure.”

Korkie’s commlink buzzed then, and he pulled it out eagerly. His heart jumped when he saw it was Padme.

“Padme! Tell me you have good news!”

“Korkie, can you come back to the apartment?” She sounded tired and unnerved. “A courier droid just arrived...I don’t want to see the message alone.”

Korkie and Aled exchanged a look, then turned and hurried back toward the speeder that had brought them down. “I’m way down on level 1312, but I’ll be up soon.”

He heard Padme let out a long held breath. “Thank you, Korkie. I’ll put some tea on.”

With some clever flying, Korkie and Aled made it all the way to Padme and Anakin’s apartment in quick time, and she was waiting on the balcony for them when they arrived. Fenn Rau and Captain Typho both waited inside, staring suspiciously at a small courier droid resting on the low table in front of the sofa. 

Korkie walked toward it, but stopped. “Is it safe?” He glanced at Rau.

The ginger haired Protector nodded. “We inspected it thoroughly before allowing it in. There’s no traces of explosives. I’m just….skeptical.”

Korkie rubbed his chin as he sat down in front of the droid. It had a familiar look to it, like it had been crafted by the hand of someone he knew.  _ Anakin _ . The Force rang around him. Anakin had built this little droid.

“It’s from Anakin,” he breathed, shoulders slumping in relief.

Padme moved to sit down next to him. Korkie saw both Protector and Nabooian tense, not wanting her so close. “How can you be sure?”

Korkie dug a stylus from his belt, and pointed to a few welding spots. “All of this? I’ve seen this kind of work a million times. Anakin’s been doing this stuff since he was tiny. It’s the precision.” He pointed at a small set of bolts. “And he, for whatever reason, thinks this is a great coupling set up.” He grinned cheekily at Padme. “It’s not, though.” He sighed, sitting back a bit, admiring the little droid from afar. “Also, I just...well, I just  _ know.” _

A Protector grunted from behind him, but he ignored them and activated the little droid. It whirred awake and suddenly, a life size holo of Anakin blinked to life on the floor in front of them. Padme let out a small noise of surprise and grabbed Korkie’s hand.

_ “Padme, my angel, I know none of this makes sense. I’m not sure it even makes sense to me, but I’m doing what Dad always says and trusting my instincts. _

_ “I’m sorry I left you and our baby in the middle of the night, but I knew if I told you what I had to do, you would stop me. Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done, but, if all goes the way I hope it does, I will be back with you, and we will be safe, living in a safe galaxy, raising our baby with no fear of darkness.” _

“What is he talking about?” Padme asked. “What has he done?”

Korkie only shook his head, gripping Padme’s hand tighter. Anakin’s shimmering image continued. 

_ “We’ve known for a while now that a Sith Lord is here on Coruscant, corrupting the Senate and pulling strings. For a long time I denied my feelings on who it could possibly be. But, over the past year, I’ve slowly been gathering evidence, making notes, and it finally adds up. _

_ “Padme, Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord.” _

Around the room there were gasps and swearing in Mando’a. But Korkie just blinked at his brother’s image, astounded by the truth his declaration held. Of course.  _ Of course _ it was Palpatine. Korkie could still vividly recall the creepy crawly feeling the man had given him as a tiny boy, meeting him for the first time on Naboo. He’d stamped down that very visceral reaction to the man as he’d gotten older, but he still had never forgotten the way he made him feel as a little kid.

Anakin went on.  _ “I have my evidence organized and sorted, and with the things Rex said to Korkie and I the other evening, I think my case against Palpatine is solid. But I know I will never get it heard on the Senate floor. Not right now. Which is why I’m going to confront him. To draw him out.” _

“Oh, gods, Anakin, what have you done?” Korkie breathed. Fear rocketed down his spine. He pulled his hand away from Padme and scrubbed at his face roughly with both hands. His brother was a fool.

_ “This droid contains all of my evidence. It should be enough to damn the man for everything he has done, but it needs to stay safe, for the clones’ sake. Maybe even for the safety of the Jedi, though I still don’t know for sure. Don’t go to the Jedi. Not yet. I have sent this to Mandalore, and also Bail Organa, too. Between you, Padme, and my family and Bail, I know that no matter what happens to me, you will bring Palpatine to justice.” _

Padme sobbed next to Korkie, and he reached for her hand again, squeezing it tightly. He wanted to jump up and pace and rage, but Padme needed an anchor.

_ “I love you, Padme. I love our bright little light. I will do everything I can to get back to you. Stay safe, angel. I can’t lose you, too, in all of this. _

_ “And, Korkie, I know you’re watching this. I love you. I’m counting on you.”  _ Anakin’s image gave a sharp little nod. “ _ I’ll see you both on the other side.” _

The image flickered out, and Padme cried softly from beside him. The droid whirred again and produced a datacard from the top of its head. Korkie considered it for a moment, then pulled it free, picked a datapad up off the table, and plugged the card in.

Within a few moments, the datapad’s screen was full of files. Korkie started randomly opening them. The more he opened, the more his stomach twisted.

Anakin was  _ right. _

At the very least, he was right about Palpatine pulling strings. From the little Korkie scrolled through, Anakin had found lead after lead that pointed to Palpatine’s direct connection to the Trade Federation and Count Dooku himself. And, from what Korkie could gather, while Palpatine had hidden his tracks well, there was little you could hide from a determined Anakin Skywalker. Anakin had hacked files and broken security codes, and, well, certainly stretched his security clearances to a rather creative and questionable limit.

But it all added up. Anakin had figured it out. And then gone straight to the source. A suspected Sith Lord who potentially had trained Dooku  _ and  _ Maul. Anakin was going to die. And he couldn’t let that happen.

Korkie looked at Padme.

“We need Dad.”

* * *

Obi-Wan was realizing, rather quickly this quiet evening, that he was surrounded, outnumbered even, by brilliant and fiercely opinionated women. 

Ahsoka and Lily were playing a loud and raucous game of dejarik at the table overlooking the gardens in the family lounge. Ahsoka was finding out the hard way that Lily was a cunning and cutthroat dejarik player, and she was convinced Lily was cheating. Obi-Wan had moved closer to the girls, as a sort of referee, assuring Ahsoka that, no, Lily was, in fact, not cheating. She was just that good at this silly game. He did not add that Ahsoka, gifted in so many admirable ways, was  _ not  _ a gifted dejarik player.

Moving closer to the girls and their game also moved him out of the blast zone of his darling wife and her sister, who had spent the evening hotly debating the historical accuracy of the period piece they had all expressed an interest in watching. Obi-Wan had not realized that Bo-Katan was such a historical scholar, nor so passionate about the accuracy a holoreel should portray. She and Satine had drifted away from actually watching the program and had been arguing the merits of one galactic historic event after another. They had come to a brief truce when Obi-Wan had interjected with his own thought, and was told, by both of them, how very wrong he was. But the truce ended immediately when they began arguing over just  _ why  _ he had been wrong.

It was amusing, endearing even, though he felt safer closer to the girls and the dejarik board. It had taken him some time, but he now knew this was one way Satine and Bo-Katan bonded. And, if he were to be frank and honest, he preferred it to their brutal and physical sparring sessions they occasionally engaged in. There was only so much makeup on Mandalore that could hide the occasional black eye Satine would come away with from those  _ bonding _ moments.

Obi-Wan was trying to very subtly hint to Ahsoka moves that might gain her the upper hand against Lily’s onslaught, when Tol’ket barged in, unannounced, and looking more harried than usual. In his large hand he held a small droid of some sort

“Apologies, Duchess, Mand’alor...Lady Bo-Katan.” Obi-Wan didn’t not miss the slight uptick in the corners of Tol’ket’s mouth as he gave Bo her own slight bow of apology. “This arrived from Coruscant. It’s quite...insistent. We do not know the sender. I swept it myself for explosives or other chemical agents. It appears safe.” The thing rattled violently in his hand, trying to take flight again. “And it  _ really  _ wants to see you.”

Obi-Wan held out his hand for it. “Give it here. Let’s have a look.” Tol’ket reluctantly placed the little droid in his outstretched hand, and he gave it a quick once over. “It appears to be a courier droid of some sort.”

“It’s from Ani,” Lily said, suddenly appearing at his elbow.

Obi-Wan gave his daughter a skeptical look. She shrugged, and pointed at a set of bolts. “He  _ always  _ uses that setup as a coupling.” 

Ahsoka had joined Lily, peering around the smaller girl. “Oh yeah. I remember seeing that all over the  _ Copaani Gaan.  _ That’s Anakin’s handiwork alright.”

“Well, activate it Obi-Wan,” Satine said from the sofa next to Bo, shutting off the holoreel that they had long stopped watching. “If it’s Ani’s, let’s see what it has to say for us.” Bo leaned forward, nodding her head in agreement.

He considered the little droid for a moment, now seeing the tiny little details that carried the signature of his eldest, then set it on the low table. Lily flopped down unceremoniously against Bo, Ahsoka, much less dramatically, sat down beside Satine. Obi-Wan activated the droid, and stepped back as a life size holographic image of Anakin blinked to life. 

_ “Mum, Dad, this isn’t going to make a lot of sense. I know that. I’m not sure it even makes sense to me, but I’m doing what Dad always says and trusting my instincts. _

_ “We’ve known for a while now that a Sith Lord is here on Coruscant, corrupting the Senate and pulling strings. For a long time I denied my feelings on who it could possibly be. But, over the past year, I’ve slowly been gathering evidence, making notes, and it finally adds up.” _

Obi-Wan heard Satine’s sharp intake of a breath, and glanced over to see her clinging tightly to Bo’s hand. Where was Anakin going with this?

_ “Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord. I kinda feel like that won’t be much of a stretch for you to hear, especially you, Mum, considering your feelings on the man.” _

“What?” Ahsoka exclaimed. Then furrowed her brow, lost in thought. “Oh. Oh!”

Obi-Wan knew how she felt. It wasn’t a big stretch of the imagination. He wanted it to be hard to believe, but it absolutely made sense.

Anakin continued.  _ “I have my evidence organized and sorted, and with the things Rex said to Korkie and I the other evening, I think my case against Palpatine is solid. But it won’t get heard on the Senate floor. Not right now, at least. So, I have gone to confront him. Padme should be receiving her own droid about the same time as you all, so she doesn’t know anything. Take care of her. Keep her and our baby safe.” _

“Oh, Ani, you foolish boy!” Satine breathed, eyes meeting Obi-Wan’s across the room. 

_ “This droid contains all of my evidence. It should be enough to damn the man for everything he has done, but it needs to stay safe, for the clones’ sake. Maybe even for the safety of the Jedi, though I still don’t know for sure. Dad, I know you’ll want to go to the Jedi, seek their help and guidance, but don’t. Not yet. I think the order’s safety is at risk.  _

_ “Padme and Bail Organa are getting the same files. I hope I can bring Palpatine to justice, but if I can’t, at least you have the evidence that should bring him down.  _

“ _ I love you all. So much. Please be safe. Please keep Padme and our baby safe. I hope I survive this, but, if I don’t, just know how happy I have been being part of this family. This clan. Aliit ori’shya tal’din. I hope I see you all on the other side.” _

Anakin’s image blinked off, and the little droid produced a datachip. They all stared at in silence for what felt like an eternity before Obi-Wan reached down and plucked it from the droid. “Lily, get me a datapad,” he said quietly.

She pulled away from her aunt, subdued, and wandered to her seat at the table where she had left her datapad. She handed it quietly to him, and watched as he plugged the chip in. The screen came ablaze with hundreds of files. “Oh stars,” he whispered. He looked up at Satine. “He’s right.”

She rose and started to come toward him to read with him, when the holoprojector in the corner of the room chimed for an incoming call. Lily was closest, and glanced down at the sender. “It’s Korkie.” She smashed the receive button, and, for the second time in a matter of minutes, one of their sons shimmered to life in the form of a hologram.

Korkie must have caught sight of the datapad in Obi-Wan’s hands, because he didn’t even bother with a greeting. “I take it you got your droid.”

Obi-Wan stepped closer to the projector, Satine moving with him. “Indeed we have. Has Anakin been gone long?”

Korkie rubbed the back of his neck. He looked exhausted. “He left sometime last night, or well,” he paused, clearly glancing at a chrono nearby. “I guess now, on Coruscant, he left two nights ago.  _ Osik.  _ Have we really been looking that long?” A grumbled, half audible reply came from out of view of the holo. “Yeah. So, it’s about 0500 here, we’ve been searching all day and night for him.”

“How is Padme?” Satine asked.

“She’s, uh, she’s not great, as I’m sure you can imagine. Furious and terrified and exhausted. I sent her to bed, though she went very unwillingly.”

“I can imagine, but she needs to rest. It’s not good for the baby to be so stressed.” Satine sighed. “Not like we can avoid this stress.”

Korkie nodded slowly. Then rubbed his chin in thought. “I don’t know what to do,” he said, voice heavy with defeat. 

“You’ll do nothing. I’m coming to you,” Obi-Wan replied quickly. From behind him, he heard Tol’ket instantly begin muttering into a commlink, ordering for a ship to be prepared. 

“Obi-Wan….” Satine started, but trailed off when she looked away from Korkie and met his gaze.

“I’m not leaving our eighteen year old son to confront Palpatine. I’ll go, see what I can find out. Maybe this isn’t as bad as we think.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ahsoka said, rising from the sofa. 

Obi-Wan turned toward the young woman and shook his head. “Ahsoka, I rather you stay here, protect the rest of the family. I would feel better knowing there is another Force user here.”

“What am I?” Lily barked in indignation.

Obi-Wan flashed her a hot look. “Another Force user who isn’t a thirteen old girl still struggling with impulse control.”

Lily huffed, turning toward Bo for some sort of back up. To Bo’s credit, she only arched an eyebrow and shrugged.

“Good. That’s decided.” He turned back to Korkie’s image. “I will see you and Padme late in the evening, your time, I should think. Get some rest. That includes the Protectors, too.”

Korkie nodded, and, after exchanging farewells, his image blinked out.

Satine turned toward Obi-Wan, her face etched with fear, color drained from it. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to save our son and bring down a Sith Lord.”

She scoffed. “You make it sound so simple. May I remind you, we recently fought  _ two  _ Sith Lords, with an army, and one still managed to get away?”

He pulled her close, kissing her forehead, before resting his head to hers. “Details, my dear. We will figure this out. Now, I must go and gather my things so I can depart sooner rather than later.”

“Our ship is being prepared as we speak, Mand’alor,” Tol’ket said quietly from his post near the door. “I am ready when you are.”

Obi-Wan smiled at his loyal friend. “Tol’ket, I would ask that you stay here, watch over the Duchess and the girls. I’ll take however many Protectors you like, but I will feel best if you stay with the Duchess.”

Tol’ket’s face darkened for a moment, but he trained it back into a look of calm. “Yes, sir. I understand. Let me at least escort you to your ship?”

“Of course. We’ll leave in ten minutes.”

Tol’ket gave a quick bow, nodded at Bo, and disappeared back into the palace. 

Obi-Wan turned back to the room, and was met by four pairs of serious, worried eyes. 

“I don’t like this,” Satine said quietly.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of taking this man on alone?” Bo-Katan asked.

“Bo’s right, Obi-Wan,” Satine said, moving closer to her sister, linking her arm through Bo’s. “This is suicide.”

“I am only going to  _ talk  _ to the man, ladies. Nothing more.” They both gave him a skeptical look, their sisterly resemblance sharply on display. He glanced over at Ahsoka, who had slung an arm over Lily’s shoulders, pulling her into her side. They gave him matching skeptical looks, as well. He sighed. “Let me go and get a better handle on the situation. If it seems like Korkie and I will need backup, I will call for it.” Satine quirked an elegant brow at him. “I swear to you.”

Satine relented with a sigh of her own and, letting go of Bo, stepped closer to Obi-Wan and took his arm. “Alright then. Let us go pack your things. And, hopefully, you will restore our son to us without incident.”

* * *

  
  


Anakin approached the Senate building on silent feet. It was late in the evening, the third night since he had left his home and his wife. By this point, everyone he had sent one of his little droids to should have received them. As far as he could tell, his warning not to approach the Jedi seemed to have been taken seriously.

He knew the Chancellor would be in his offices late this particular night. It was part of why he chose to leave when he did, though Rex’s story of what had happened to Fives and Tup and the Jedi general killed had spurred him into finally moving on his plan. He had been gathering evidence for months. A year, really. But he’d lacked the conviction to actually follow through. Until now. Now he was ready. 

The Senate building was sparsely guarded by this particular entrance, but, still, with a nudge through the Force, he pushed over a small pile of empty crates from the cafeteria on the nearby loading dock. The two Senate guards exchanged glances then moved away from the doorway to investigate. Anakin slipped quietly into the building behind their distracted backs. 

He made his way through the building, his cowl pulled low over his face, avoiding security cameras and droids as he went. It was easy enough. He’d studied the layout of the building for some time, and what he couldn’t avoid, he distracted through a nudge of the Force here or a mysteriously closing door there.

Finally, he slipped quietly into the Chancellor’s antechamber and was greeted, as he suspected he would be, by two of the Red Guard. Within the span of a heartbeat, force pikes were aimed at his chest. He raised his hands in surrender. “I am only here to speak with the Chancellor,” he said, his voice raised, hoping to catch Palpatine’s attention.

It worked. The older man appeared almost instantly in the doorway of his inner office. As if...as if he sensed him, Anakin couldn’t help thinking.

“Senator Skywalker? What a pleasant surprise.” The Chancellor waved off the guards, who fell back into their positions without a second look at Anakin. “Come in, Senator, please. You’ve been missed the last couple of days.” Anakin followed the man into his office, working hard to steady his nerve. Strengthen his resolve. He fought the urge to turn back, while he still could. Palpatine gestured toward a seat in front of his desk. “Senator Amidala said you have been under the weather?”

Anakin didn’t sit. He paced, but nodded. “Yes. Under the weather,” he confirmed. 

“Feeling better now, I take it?” Palpatine asked as he sat at his desk. Anakin could feel his eyes following him. He could feel the heavy weight of curiosity shrouding the man. 

“Mmm...yes, thank you, Chancellor. Much better.” 

“What brings you in to see me so late, Anakin?” Palpatine asked, his voice holding the same benevolent, almost grandfatherly tone it had since Anakin was just a small boy. 

Anakin stopped his pacing, and turned, square in front of the Chancellor’s desk. He breathed in. He breathed out. He reached for the Force, grounded himself in it. He thought of Padme. Their baby. His siblings. His parents. Mandalore. Then, he made his leap, praying the Force would catch him.

“Chancellor Palpatine, I do believe you are a Sith Lord.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, is Anakin's plan a smart one? Probably not. But, you know, it's Anakin, and Anakin can't stop, won't stop.
> 
> If you want a silly little visual of the courier droids, I imagine them like big golden snitches....and, for whatever reason, the idea of Tol'ket trying to manhandle a golden snitch tickles me to death. 
> 
> I think all the Mando'a is familiar Mando'a today.
> 
> I promise I won't make you wait 10 whole days on this cliffhanger. 
> 
> You all are the very best and I hope you're surviving as best you can in this absolute crazy, ridiculous world.


	61. Foolish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin's disappearance sparks Mandalore into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Settle in. This is a long one. 
> 
> Usually, I abuse Mandalorian culture, but there may be some questionable understanding of how the Force works today.
> 
> A couple of really important notes:
> 
> First of all, there are going to be some elements over the next couple of chapters that are going to feel really familiar to recent events. Here's the thing. I have had this planned for several months, some parts even written out. I even have a witness who has heard how this all ends, and I told them BEFORE last week happened. I did consider for a couple of days changing all of this, but I have been so committed and emotionally invested in this particular chain of events that's coming that I couldn't bare changing it. To be totally honest, I'm a little terrified at my foresight. I don't know what to tell you if this might disturb you. Maybe hit me up on tumblr @the-obiwan-for-me and and I can give you a synopsis of how things shake out in each chapter, without the scary weird similarities to current events. I really don't know. But, I swear on Obi-Wan's handsome face, this is in no way inspired by current events.
> 
> Second thing, I'm just going to pop up a little CW, I guess for super consensual removal of clothing and some half naked making out. There is really nothing one could consider really explicit, but since most scenes that go this way in my stories either end before clothes come off, or come in when all the fun is over, I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable. If you want to avoid it (I suggest not avoiding it, but everyone has their threshold) you can skip from the line break after "Why did she want to cry?" to the next line break.

_ 19 BBY _

"Chancellor Palpatine, I do believe you are a Sith Lord."

Anakin immediately wanted to throw himself out the window. That had not been his plan for this conversation, at all. But, to his surprise, Palpatine merely stared at him for a long, painful beat. Anakin swallowed the hard lump forming in his throat.

Finally, the Chancellor spoke. "A rather bold accusation, wouldn't you say?"

The man rose, and paced across the floor of the expansive office, hands grasped behind his back. "I do wonder what would cause you to say such a thing, hmm?"

Anakin, emboldened by the Chancellor's rather anticlimactic response, leaned into his claims. "You have been all but named by both Count Dooku and Maul to my family, multiple times." Anakin watched the man's slow pacing as he spoke. "And I now have evidence to back those claims up."

"You do, do you?” The man paused his pacing, and looked at Anakin, face stern, like he was questioning a petulant, disobedient child. “Ah, yes, of course you do.” He moved again.

“Do you deny my claims?”

Palpatine moved closer to Anakin, stopping in front of him. “You tell me of what others say. You bring supposed evidence.” A small, grim smile pulled at his face and he raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, Anakin. What do  _ you  _ think?”

This was not going quite how Anakin planned, though, to be sure, he hadn’t put much thought into just how Chancellor Palpatine would react. But, he was sure, this calm, measured response was not it. He groped for words, once again wishing he had his parents’ or his brother’s way with words. “I...I have felt for a long time that there was something about you that didn’t add up. It only makes sense that you are a Sith Lord.”

“Oh?” The man’s smile warmed, softened, and he all but laughed. “A guess then? A mere gut feeling?” He bit the last two words off, making them sharp and biting. He moved back around his desk and sat back down, looking regal and confident. 

“What would you say if I told you that I do know the ways of the Force? That I have studied it? That I understand how it works? How to manipulate it? Bend it to my will?”

Anakin grimaced. “You don't bend the Force to your will. You work within the will of the Force.”

Palpatine huffed a humorless chuckle. “Spoken like a boy raised by a failed Jedi. You have no idea the power you possess, Anakin.” His face turned sad. “In the Force, you’re practically no better than the little desert slave found on Tatooine, all those years ago. You’re uneducate, underutilized, completely oblivious to what you could be, if you only used my knowledge.”

Anakin bristled at the comment, clenching both his fists hard. The nails of his natural hand bit into his palm. His mechanical hand whirred in protest at the force placed on the joints. “I don’t  _ need  _ power. I don’t want it.”

Palpatine stood again, coming around the desk. He placed a hand on Anakin’s arm. “Even the power to protect your family? Protect your wife and child?  _ Save _ them even?”

The look in his eye shocked Anakin, and he stumbled back, pulling free of his grasp. It was like he  _ knew,  _ saw the dreams. “Padme is  _ healthy.  _ Strong even. The baby is, too. I don’t need to save them.”

“You’re so certain.” Palpatine smiled again, but it was cruel now. "Anything could happen Anakin, and with me, I can give you the power to stop it. Save them from death.”

It was then that the man let his shields down, and Anakin was hit by the shockingly hard, cold, blunt force of his presence through the Force. Anakin had felt darkness through the Force before, many times. But this was of a magnitude Anakin didn’t know could exist. 

“It’s true,” he whispered in horror, suddenly feeling the full weight of his implications. And of what he had done, coming here unsupported.

“It is true, yes. But, Anakin, if you follow me, devote yourself to the Dark Side, I can give you power beyond your imagination. Not only the power to protect your family, not only the power to protect your precious Mandalore, but the power to rule the galaxy, beside me.” His smile twisted into something animalistic and other worldly. “Your sister and brother are powerful, too. Think of what the three of you could do with the power I could give you.”

At the mention of Lily and Korkie, Anakin felt his fury boil over. “You leave them out of this. I will  _ not _ join you. It’s over, Sidious. The game is up. I know everything.”

“Good, Anakin, let your anger flow through it. Let your hatred for me grow.” That smile. It made Anakin’s blood run cold, but it also sobered him. He reached out, grasping to the Light Side, anchoring himself, thought of Padme and that bright little light growing inside her. No. He had to stay controlled. Hold to the Light, at all costs.

He breathed in. He breathed out. And the fury ebbed away, leaving nothing but resolve. “No. You can’t win. It’s the will of the Force.” 

Sidious laughed now. A deep, dark, ancient laugh. “If I can’t lure you to the Dark Side, Anakin,” he said, raising his hands to the level of his chest, “then I have other, more persuasive ways to turn you.”

The power of the lightning that burst from Sidious’ fingertips hit Anakin with the force of a runaway bantha. Every nerve felt like it had been lit with coaxium, his skin all but sizzled, the breath boiled away in his lungs, his blood turned to a roiling gas. 

And he reached through the Force, and pulled the Light to him again, just as the second bolt rocketed through his soul. And he reached again. And again.

* * *

  
  


“Mand’alor Kenobi, what a pleasant surprise!” Chancellor Palpatine greeted Obi-Wan as warmly as the mid afternoon sun that bathed the city-planet in cheerful light. “What brings you all the way from Mandalore?” He gestured towards a seat across from him at his desk. 

Obi-Wan sat stiffly, wishing his mood matched the cheerful sunshine. “Yes, Chancellor, I was wondering if you had spoken to Anakin in recent days."

The Chancellor sat back into his chair, a puzzled look crossing his face. "No, Mand'alor, I have not. I was under the impression he had been ill." 

Obi-Wan nodded. That had been the cover for Ankin's foolish disappearance, indeed. And Palpatine seemed to either have bought it, or was using Padme and Korkie's story to  _ his  _ advantage. 

Obi-Wan pressed out into the Force, seeking anything, any hint from the man that he was what Anakin had said. But the Chancellor felt as null as he ever had. He pressed again, and realized something- the man wasn't just null, he was all but a void, a hole in the Force. Even Satine, Bo-Katan, Tol'ket and the other Protectors, they all shined in the Force in their own ways. This man was just….vacant.

Obi-Wan had never really made that connection before. And it intrigued him.

The Chancellor steepled his fingers, looking expectantly, kindly at Obi-Wan, and he realized he's been silent too long.

"Ah, yes. A bit of food poisoning, nothing serious or contagious. Which is why I wondered if he might have stopped by. Especially now that he's feeling a bit better."

“Well, I am certainly relieved to hear he is on the mend, but, no, he has not been by.” The Chancellor looked at him curiously. “Do you know what it was he wanted to see me about?”

Obi-Wan, maintaining a congenial, open expression, scrambled for an answer. He couldn’t tell this man that his son thought he was a Sith Lord. Or that he believed his son. Could he? No. That would be foolish. 

“I know he was thinking of putting together a...caucus, of sorts, I believe, hoping to address some issues particular to the Outer Rim planets. It’s all he’s been talking about.” Obi-Wan put a bit of the weight of the Force behind the partial lie, lending it more believability. In fact, this  _ was  _ something Anakin had been talking about, but the constant stream of crises and war kept forcing him to place those plans on the proverbial back burner, continually frustrating him with his inability to actually  _ help  _ the people of the galaxy.

The Chancellor smiled. “Oh, well, that is something I would love to discuss with him. You and the Duchess should be very proud of him. He is a remarkable young man.”

Obi-Wan nodded, smiled in that noncommittal way Satine had perfected so well. “Yes, we are very proud of him. All of them.”

Palpatine reclined back in his seat, still smiling. “Am I to understand you and the Duchess took in Padawan Tano after she decided not to return to the order?”

There was a war going on still, wasn’t there? And this man seemed perfectly content to sit and  _ chat. _ It was starting to make Obi-Wan’s skin crawl, but he steadied himself, centering himself in the Force, willing himself to remain patient. 

Obi-Wan nodded again, remained pleasantly indifferent. “She has been close to both Anakin and Korkie for some time now. And the Duchess is an avid practitioner of the Mandalorian tradition of adopting stray children. It was only right.”

The Chancellor chuckled at that, and stood, finally signalling that the conversation was over. “What a relief. It was such an unfortunate series of events for such a promising young woman,” he said as he led Obi-Wan to the door. “Thank you for stopping in, Mand’alor Kenobi. Please, give my best to the Duchess, and tell Anakin I would love to speak with him regarding his Outer Rim caucus.”

Obi-Wan bowed, reaching out with the Force once again, feeling sucked into the void the Chancellor seemed to leave in the Force. He still couldn’t understand how such a strange feeling could be missed for so long. “Thank you, Chancellor. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day.” For an absolutely pointless conversation, Obi-Wan did not add.

He stepped out into the antechamber, immediately greeted by Fenn Rau and three other Protectors. 

As they moved down the corridor, Obi-Wan pondered the conversation that had been an utter waste of time. He’d learned nothing from the man. Gained nothing that would help him or confirm Anakin’s suspicions. Should he have pushed harder? Been more upfront? Should he have gone ahead and outright accused him of being Darth Sidious, the mysterious Sith Lord both Dooku and Maul had spoken of?

No. No, that would have been foolish. Dangerous, even, if what Anakin suspected was true. 

As they strode through the building, Obi-Wan politely greeting the few senators and heads of state he knew, his mind turned to that feeling in the Force. That void. That  _ absence.  _ And he realized that maybe that pointless, aimless, chat maybe wasn’t quite as pointless as he originally thought. He wanted to talk to Master Yoda or Master Windu, but Anakin’s warning to keep the Jedi away, for their safety, rang in his head.

His commlink buzzed, pulling him out of his head. He fished it from his pocket. “Korkie, what is it?”

“You’re done! Good. Can you and Fenn come to the security office?” Korkie replied, sounding excited.

“Alright. We’ll be right there. Care to share what this is about?”

“No. Just get here. You need to see what Aled did.” With that, Korkie clicked off. Obi-Wan looked up at Fenn Rau. Rau simply shrugged, resigned to whatever fate Clan Kryze had destined for him.

When they entered the security office, both Korkie and Aled were practically vibrating with excitement in front of a bank of monitors some poor Senate Guard had been coerced into letting them commandeer.

“What’s all this about?” Obi-Wan asked, waving at the monitors. “What has you two acting like a couple of children on Life Day?”

Aled flushed a bit, a trickle of nervous energy ebbing around him in the Force. Korkie laid a steadying hand on his arm. “Show him.”

Aled stiffened his spine, turned, and inputted a few commands into a keypad. “We reviewed footage again from the last couple of days, and still weren’t finding Anakin anywhere. Then I thought, well, Senator Skywalker is trying to keep a low profile. He didn’t want anyone to know what he was doing. He’s trying to avoid being seen. He’s good,” he paused, chuckling a bit, “but he’s not that good.”

“Get on with it, Aled,” Korkie scolded, jabbing the other young man in the ribs with an elbow. 

“Right, right. I input the Senator’s height, weight, and a few other various bits of information we had on hand, including, well, including his robotic hand and arm. And, well, this is what we get, from last night.” He hit a key and a central monitor flashed to life, showing a corridor Obi-Wan didn’t recognize, but was clearly in the Senate building. A small flash of a dark cloak crossed the lower right corner of the screen, the shape familiar. The screen blinked and a new corridor appeared. This time the cloaked figure crossed the upper left corner and a gloved right hand could be seen. A blink and a new corridor, and another flash and this time a flesh hand, on the left side. Obi-Wan swore under his breath.

“Wait. This one is the best one,” Korkie said, grinning wildly.

A new corridor, a tall, cloaked figure paused near the edge of the screen, gestured in the air with one hand, and a security droid could be seen darting in the opposite direction.

“Anakin….” Obi-Wan breathed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 

“This one coming up is the last one,” Aled said, pulling the focus back onto the screen. “Obi-Wan recognized this spot, without question. It was outside of the Chancellor’s office. And the dark figure appeared, only for a moment, but a flash of curly, dirty blonde hair peeked out from the cowl, a tiny, quick blaze of bright blue eyes. It was barely even a moment, before he disappeared out of sight.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, decisively. “Blast it, Anakin, what are you doing?”

“But, wait!” Aled exclaimed, his shyness having melted away. He gestured at the Senate Guard. “This kind gentleman, after a little persuasion, managed to get us footage from a security droid across the plaza.” Aled tapped a few more keys and a new image appeared, outdoors, on a darkened street. Out of the shadows came Anakin, striding with purpose and surety toward the Senate building, his cloak billowing around him, his cowl yet pulled up. The recorder followed his retreating form, all the way up to the building, now only a small silhouette. A stack of crates toppled for apparently no reason, and two shadowy silhouettes of guards appeared, clearly investigating. Anakin’s figure, now tiny, disappeared within the building.

Obi-Wan clapped both the young men on the shoulders. “This is brilliant, boys! Well done. Show me when he leaves. Maybe we can get a clue of where he headed.”

Korkie turned, his face fallen, color drained away. “That’s the thing, Dad. He doesn’t come back out. We’ve checked, and double checked, and triple checked.” He swallowed hard. “The last time we see him is as he goes into the Chancellor’s office.”

For a moment, all Obi-Wan heard was the rushing of the blood in his ears. He breathed in. He breathed out. The Force swirled around him, focusing him down to a sharp point. “Well, then, he’s in this building somewhere, and it’s time for us to get him out.”

He spun and faced Rau. “Arrange a holocall with the Duchess, Tol’ket, and Lady Bo-Katan. We have planning to do.”

* * *

Tol'ket fidgeted beside Satine as they waited for Bo-Katan on Concordia, and Obi-Wan, far across the galaxy, with news of their son. Tol'ket was not normally the sort to fidget. He had stood many hours loyally beside her in intermitable meetings, never moving a muscle, but always ready for some unseen threat. The weight of the last few days weighed on all of them, and she thought it must be taking a certain toll on Tol'ket, who preferred leading the charge when it came to protecting this family.

She placed a hand on his arm, above the gauntlet of his arm, feeling the ropes of muscle that ran through his arms. "Be still, Protector. You're making me nervous."

He stilled, straightening, his already imposing frame growing somehow more intimidating. "Apologies, your grace. I may have had too much caf today."

Satine laughed softly, her lips turning up into a wry smile as she looked up at him. " How is that different than any other day, my friend?"

This pulled a warm, deep chuckle from the man just as Bo-Katan's image blinked to life across from them. Tol'ket's sheepish grin broadened into a wide, crooked smile at the sight of Bo. A smile, Satine had noted of late, seemed reserved for Bo and Bo only. 

Bo's sharp, serious look softened into a smirk at the sight of a laughing Tol'ket. "What's so funny?"

"The Duchess is scolding me for drinking too much caf," Tol'ket explained. His whole posture had changed at the sight of Bo, softer, steadier somehow. He was still smiling broadly at the holographic image, a laughing lilt in his baritone voice.

"Perhaps you will listen to your Duchess, seeing as you don't listen to me."

"Perhaps I will."

Satine suddenly felt that she perhaps had become invisible.

The spell between her sister and head Protector was broken then when the holocall from Coruscant blinked to life. Obi-Wan stood center, arms crossed at his chest, face stern. He was flanked by Korkie and Fenn Rau. Korkie's lead Protector stood just behind his charge. They all wore the same stern, thoughtful look.

"Mand'alor," Tol'ket and Bo greeted in unison. He acknowledged them with a slight nod, but his eyes were on Satine. 

"Satine, my love, I'm afraid we have grim news."

Satine felt herself sway slightly and then felt Tol'ket's strong hand at her back, steadying her. "What is it?" she asked, fighting back the tidal wave of panic that threatened to drown her.

"Palpatine has Anakin," he said simply, as if it would explain everything instantly.

"What do you mean he  _ has _ Anakin?"

"Korkie and Aled were able to track Anakin's movements into and through the Senate building last night. He was last seen going into the Chancellor's office. There is no record of him leaving the building. The footage has not been altered. He goes in, but he never comes out.” Obi-Wan stilled, eyes still on Satine, then moved to Tol’ket, then finally to Bo. “Where are Ursa and Greer?”

Bo’s brows pinched in confusion for a moment. “They shouldn’t be far. Do you want them here?”

“Call them. I will want their input, along with yours.” He turned back to Satine. “And Ahsoka? Where is she?”

Satine felt the confusion Bo displayed. “I believe she was sparring in the gym.”

“Call her. We will need her, as well.”

Satine stilled for a moment, staring at her husband’s blue, shimmering image. Even through the holo, she could tell he was planning something. And she already knew she would be protesting it. She turned to step out and have Kayla comm Ahsoka, but Tol’ket stopped her, and went himself.

Satine broke the heavy silence while they waited for the others. “How is Padme?”

Obi-Wan sighed heavily. He seemed so tired. “Well enough. I had a healer in while we were gone. Tekla says her blood pressure was high, but, well, are we surprised?”

“No. No, I suppose we are not,” Satine said, wishing she was on Coruscant right now, keeping watch over Padme, and helping find Anakin. Not stuck in Sundari,  _ waiting. _

Ahsoka entered then, Lily, who must have only just returned from school, trailing behind her, chattering away. On Bo’s end, Ursa Wren and Greer Eldar appeared, flanking her and greeting their Mand’alor.

“What’s this?” Lily asked, pushing her way between Tol’ket and Satine.

“Lily, love, this is not a conversation for you,” Satine said quietly. “Why don’t you go to the res-”

“No!  _ Everyone  _ else is here,” Lily said sharply, gesturing at the holos in front of them. “This is about Anakin, isn’t it?”

“Lily, we may need to discuss some things you won’t like to hear,” Tol’ket said, softly, but with the weight of his authority in his voice.

Lily gave him an incredulous look. “Are you serious? How can anything be worse than what happened at my  _ Resol’nare?” _

Satine bit her tongue, because Lily had a point. She looked up at Bo, who had crossed her arms, cocking a hip out in that defiant way she stood. She would be no use. She looked to Obi-Wan. His face had softened. Clearly she would lose this battle, too.

“Let her stay. She might as well know,” he said. Lily beamed at her father, before flashing triumphant looks at her mother, then Tol’ket.

“Good. That’s settled. Let’s move on,” Obi-Wan said, his face hardening again. “We need to get Anakin out. And it won’t be easy. Korkie and I have some thoughts.” He glanced around the group, waiting for questions or comments. None came. “Korkie and I, along with Ahsoka, if she so desires, will confront the Chancellor ourselves, with Tol’ket and our best  _ beskad  _ Protectors. Only if they are willing, Tol’ket. This….this will not be easy.”

“They will all volunteer, Mand’alor. It will be an honor,” Tol’ket said, the levity and lilt from earlier replaced with heavy, grave seriousness. 

Ahsoka stepped closer to Satine, into the light of the projector. “Of course I will help. Anakin is not only my friend, but my brother. I will do anything to bring him home.”

Obi-Wan nodded, turned to Bo and her leadership. “We’ll need Death Watch to keep clone troopers away from the building until we have Anakin safe and the Chancellor subdued.”

Satine felt a flush of anger. “Obi-Wan, you cannot be serious! You are talking about invading the Senate building. That’s an act of  _ war!’ _

“We won’t get far if we go in and confront Palpatine without support, Satine” Obi-Wan said. “Any act of aggression will have him calling in the Coruscanti guard instantly. We’ll be arrested or dead before we ever even get close to Anakin. Death Watch can keep them off of us.” 

He’d obviously already put tremendous thought into this. It terrified her, but, somewhere in the back of her head, she knew he was right.

“The question is, Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan went on, unwilling to discuss Satine’s concerns further, “is how do we get an army onto Coruscant.”

Greer, standing to Bo’s left shrugged casually. “We’ll just take a couple of big gunners and troop transports.”

“ _ Di’kut,”  _ Bo-Katan snapped. “It’s one thing to fly in a couple of little  _ Kom’rk _ fighters as escorts, but the Duchess is right. We can’t even  _ look  _ like an army.” Satine shook her head. Had Bo just said she was  _ right?  _

Bo looked thoughtful, drumming her nails against one gauntlet as she thought.

“Jetpacks,” Ursa said, breaking her unusual silence. “We can’t go in on ships, but we can with jetpacks.”

Bo looked at her friend for a long moment, some curious unspoken communication happening between them. Then Bo looked back at the rest of the group. “We would be mostly untraceable with the jetpacks if we jump from high enough up. We’ll take the shuttles.” Her brows pinched in concentration as she worked out the puzzle. “Yes. If we take the  _ Coronet,  _ we can load up multiple shuttles, Protectors, Death Watch, the proverbial kitchen sink. We’ll look like the Duchess is making a visit, not like we’re about to commit war crimes. We need to hammer out some details, but that could work.”

Satine winced, but it was a  _ good  _ plan. A very good plan. She looked at Obi-Wan, and saw he thought it was, too.

“Indeed it could, Bo-Katan. How quickly can you be underway?” he asked.

Bo exchanged looks with Ursa and Greer, then Tol’ket. “A few hours. Probably however long it takes to prepare the  _ Coronet,  _ really.” The other three all nodded in agreement.

“Make it so. Let’s rendezvous a jump over from Coruscant to finalize and brief everyone. Rau will send coordinates to the  _ Coronet _ ,” Obi-Wan commanded.

And, to Satine’s unending surprise, when her kind, charming, compassionate husband commanded, people  _ leapt  _ at his word.

The call ended, and Tol’ket excused himself to quickly rally his Protectors. Satine turned to begin making whatever arrangements she would need, Ahsoka and Lily trailing behind her.

Lily grabbed her elbow. “What will I do?”

Satine gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean, little love?”

“No one said what  _ I  _ would do, just then. What will I do?”

Satine smiled. “Darling, you aren’t going.”

“What?!”

“I am not taking my thirteen year old daughter to help her father commit war crimes against the Republic.” Ahsoka snorted a laugh.

“Mum!”

“Lily, don’t. Do not start with me right now. You are  _ staying.  _ Kayla will stay with you.”

Lily made to speak again, but saw the look on Satine’s face. She matched it, anger flaring across her sweet face. “Fine!” she yelled, then spun, disappearing in the direction of the residence.

“I’ll go try and talk to her,” Ahsoka said quietly, smiling sadly. 

Satine ran a loving hand down Ahsoka’s arm. “Thank you, love. She does certainly listen to you.”

Ahsoka smiled again, then jogged off in Lily’s wake.

Satine sighed. At least she would not have to worry about one of her children.

* * *

Death Watch was endlessly amused by their travel accommodations. 

Bo had lectured and scolded them at length before they had departed Concordia to meet the  _ Coronet  _ in orbit. She hoped the seriousness of the mission would keep them from creating too much trouble, but she also wanted them to blow off a little steam and rest. They would need clear minds. 

She hoped  _ she  _ could rest, but her nerves jangled relentlessly. The astonishing weight of what they were doing pressed down on her as she settled her troops in their quarters. The tremendous implication of it loomed over her as a confused and mildly terrified porter showed her a small state room down the hall from Satine’s. The enormity of the task skulked in the corner of the dining room as she ate- well, as she pushed food around her plate, too nervous to really eat- with her sister and Ursa, Tol’ket and Greer.

Conversation was stilted and tight. Everyone felt it, she knew. Satine’s worry for not only her family, but what this stunt could do to Mandalore made her face pale and wan. Tol’ket fidgeted and fussed, his nerves at the thought of facing off with not just another Sith Lord, but the one that had trained Maul, making him uncharacteristically jumpy. Ursa was unusually quiet, and even the first to retire for the night. Greer, after finally being told to shut up about the plans for the rest of the night by Ursa, spent the rest of the evening, broodily flipping on and off a little holo of his husband and their baby.

Greer followed Ursa by a few minutes. Satine, thirty minutes later, opted to retire herself. She pressed a hand against Bo’s shoulder. “Rest, Bo. _ ”  _ She gave her shoulder a squeeze, then looked over at Tol’ket, sitting across from Bo. “You, too, Protector.  _ Gar shuk meh kyrayc,  _ old friend.”

He smiled at Satine. “As you command, my Duchess. We’ll finish our glasses here, and then I’ll see your sister actually goes to her room.”

“Good man,” Satine said with a tired laugh, then disappeared into the ship, off to her state room. Bo absently wondered if it was strange for Satine to sleep without Obi-Wan.

Tol’ket tipped back the last of his  _ tihaar _ , then stood, rounding the long table to stop beside Bo’s seat. He held out his hand. “Come along, Lady Bo-Katan,” he said quietly, his crooked grin soft and tired. “I promised the Duchess I’d see you safely to your room.”

She took his hand and allowed him to tug her to her feet. “I don’t know how unsafe I am on a ship literally full of Death Watch and Protectors.”

He squeezed her hand as he led her into the corridor. “Last time we were on this ship together, it was full of Protectors, clone troopers, a couple of Jedi,  _ you,  _ and I  _ still  _ shot a treacherous senator.”

She chuckled at the memory. “You make a fair point,  _ ner vod.”  _ They walked in silence for a few strides before Bo finally voiced the thought plaguing her since the end of their holocall with Obi-Wan. “Are we being foolish?”

Tol’ket hummed a little, the sound coming from deep in his chest. “Your plan is solid. I trust our people. I think our biggest risk will come if we are actually successful. Can we convince the Republic that we were doing us all a favor, and not committing war crimes?”

That thought relaxed her some. She trusted their people, too. She wasn’t sure she trusted the Republic.

He stopped in front of the door to her state room, and turned her to face him. “Whatever happens, I have faith in  _ you,  _ Bo. You won’t steer us wrong. Alright?”

She sighed, staring down at their still joined hand. He tipped her head up by the chin, forcing her to look at him. “Alright, Bo?”

She nodded, swallowed. “Alright.”

He smiled that crooked smile, and leaned in, quickly closing the endlessly insurmountable distance between them-

“Lady Bo-Katan, Captain Tol’ket,” an eager porter, seeming to have appeared from nowhere, greeted them. “Is there anything else I can get for you all this evening to make your journey more comfortable?” 

Tol’ket’s hands fell away from Bo. “This has got to be some kind of karking joke,” he growled under his breath, eyes still locked with Bo’s.

“We’re both fine, thank you,” Bo said, never looking away.

“Very well. Please do not hesitate to call if you need anything at all during the journey.” The porter moved passed them, off down the hall.

“Good night, Bo,” Tol’ket said quietly, hesitantly. 

“Good night, Tol’ket,” she replied. She palmed open the door, stepped through, and the door slid shut behind her.

She slid to the floor, back pressed against the wall. Why did she want to cry?

* * *

  
  


Bo’s eyes popped open for what had to be the hundredth time since she had tried to will herself to sleep. It wasn’t happening. Her mind still buzzed with worries and plans and what ifs. Her body felt like the string of a bow, pulled taunt, ready to burst forward with lethal energy. Sleep would not come tonight.

Bo climbed out of her bed, and paced the small cabin, running through the last of the details she had sorted out as her body refused to sleep. She was again overcome by the foolishness of the endeavor. Even a successful mission could still mean disaster for Mandalore. But Anakin needed to be safe. That was all there really was to it. 

She glanced at the door, and briefly considered walking down the hall to Satine’s state room. Maybe crawling into the bed with her, like they used to do when they were frightened as girls, whispering to each other folktales and myths until they could no longer keep their eyes open.

But, no, Satine needed to rest. She needed all the rest she could get. The last few days had been painfully stressful on her sister, and this was not helping.

Bo paced a few more steps, then froze. Looked at the door again.

Before she could give herself enough time to think, she palmed open the door and took the few steps down the hall to another small stateroom. She pressed the call button, and waited.

She heard shuffling, a chair scrape back, muttering in surly Mando’a. Then the door slid open.

“Bo-Katan.” 

Tol’ket said her name like a prayer. It knocked the breath from her lungs.

They stood staring at each other for entirely too long, Bo still standing in the corridor, Tol’ket filling the doorway of his small cabin. Something finally seemed to rattle loose in his head, and he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her inside.

His armor was stacked neatly in the corner, flight suit tidily folded on top, ready to don in the morning. The lamp was on over the small desk, where he must have been working, judging by the pile of datapads and a half finished cup of caf. He must have tried to sleep at some point since they’d parted company earlier in the evening. The bedding was rumpled and tangled, much like hers had been.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked her quietly, still holding her wrist loosely in his hand.

She shook her head no. Words seemed to be something that had left her as she studied his body for the first time in earnest. He was shirtless, clearly dressed for bed, with sleep pants clinging to the narrow taper of his hips. She could see all of him now. All of the stories the scars told across his muscular chest and shoulders. Not just the bits and pieces she had glimpsed over the last couple of years. She wanted to trace each one with her fingers. 

He shifted uneasily under her gaze, seeming to realize it had been too long since either had said something. His eyes cast around the room, looking for a way to be hospitable to her. His shoulders fell when it dawned on him that if they were to sit and talk, it would have to be on his bunk. 

He tugged on her wrist and brought her to sit on the bed, finally letting go. He feigned casualness, pushing his back against the wall at the head of the bed, pulling one knee up to his chest. She tried to mimic him, against the wall at the foot. The casualness would not come.

They stared at each other for a long time, the tension thick and heavy between them.

He finally broke the silence with a sigh. “What do you need, Bo?”

She stared at him a moment longer, pondering the answer to his question. What did she need? What drove her down the corridor? Was it really just to chat? “I want- I need you to kiss me.” The words were out of her mouth, barely above a hoarse whisper, before she even had processed the thought. His eyes went large in shock at the confession. It was a confession. She was finally putting to words what she had craved from him for so long.

He crossed the distance between them at a supernatural speed, and, framing her face with both of his hands, he kissed her. She didn’t know it was possible to be kissed both so tenderly and yet with such incredible fire. For the second time in the span of minutes, Tol’ket knocked the air right out of her lungs.

When he pulled away to rest his forehead to hers, he sighed again. “ _ Mar’e _ ,” he breathed. “You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that.”

“How long?” she asked.

He pulled back so his eyes could find hers. “Since the night on the balcony in Coruscant.”

This time her eyes went wide, then she leaned up and kissed him again. This time an almost chaste, innocent kiss. Short, but sweet. She relaxed back against the wall. “We couldn't sleep that night, either," she said, remembering the night with a sudden odd sort of fondness. A night that now seemed ages ago. "That's a very long time, Tol'ket. And I thought I’d wanted to kiss you for a long time.”

He moved closer again, emulating her kiss. “How long?” he asked, repeating her question back to her, before moving to trace the line of her jaw with his lips.

She thought for a moment, tilting her chin up to give him easy access to her suddenly overheated skin. The exact first time wasn’t as clearly laid out in her memory as it seemed to be in his. Then she landed on a particular sweet memory. “In the cockpit on our way back from Carlac the first time.”

He smiled at her, his eyes bright, dancing as he recalled the memory. “That would have chased the chill away a lot faster than that soup,” he said with a wry smile.

“Why did it take us so long?”

He looked down, found her hand where it rested on the bed, and dragged his fingertips across the back of it. “I didn’t realize it at first, but you needed time. You were a karking mess, Bo. You needed to learn you could count on me. You needed to come to me.” He looked back up, locked his blue eyes on hers. “And here you are.”

Bo decided then and there that it was high time to make up for all that waiting they had done. She moved quickly, pushing herself up to her knees and straddling his lap. This time, she framed his face with her hands, and as she pressed her torso flush to his, she bent her head down and kissed him. Kissed him hard and wild, rewarding him for his goodness, his patience, his respect, his friendship, his protection. He met her with his own wildness, his arms wrapping tightly around her frame, somehow pulling her even closer to him, as though they could never be close enough to satisfy him. 

Tol'ket's hands roamed over her back and sides, his thumbs sliding under the hem of her sleep shirt, grazing the skin under it, his touch hot, branding her.

They finally broke apart, both gasping. But Tol’ket only paused for a moment before his lips moved to kiss and suck and nip a path from just behind her ear and down her neck, drawing a shudder from her body. Her hands moved from his face to his shoulders, finally tracing the scars that marked him, told his story. She wanted to know all of it.

His hands bunched at the hem of her shirt. He tugged gently. "May I?" 

A giddy shiver ran through her. "Yes, please." She raised her arms as he peeled her shirt up over her head. He paused, his hands falling to her hips, and drank her in. " _ Mesh'la _ ," he breathed before pulling her down to kiss her again. 

They broke apart again and his eyes wandered over her hungrily. "May I touch?"

She laughed. "Please, Tol'ket, touch me."

A greedy little smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his hands followed their earlier path- down her back, up her ribs, then lighted gently at each of her breasts. He cupped them, squeezing them gently, pulling a soft hum of delight from Bo. “May I put my lips on you?”

“Stars, Tol’ket, do as you wish,” she whispered, her eyes closing, savoring the heady sensation of his big, warm hands against her skin. But he stilled, his fingers halting their exploration of her skin. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked worried. “What? What is it?”

His eyes met hers before looking down, almost shy, which was silly, considering they were half naked and tangled up together. “I ask because I never want you to feel what he made you feel.”

The sweetness of this man nearly drove her to tears. She framed his face with her hands again, tipping his head up to look at her. “You could never do that, do you understand me? It is unfathomable for me to think you could ever even remotely treat me like he did.” He closed his eyes, nodded, but still seemed hesitant. “Listen to me. I, Bo-Katan Kryze give you, Edean Tol’ket, full and complete permission to do as you wish to me until such time I tell you otherwise.” She sealed her verbal decree with a kiss, and felt his lips quirk in a smile under hers.

His eyes opened, and his smile took on a hungry, wolfish quality. “Well, in that case…” he growled. 

In a heartbeat, he had flipped her onto her back, her legs around his hips, his weight pressing her into the plush mattress. He quickly set to exploring her body with the same eager, reverent intent as the explorers of old. And Bo, worries and fears forgotten, did the same.

It was about damn time, she thought.

* * *

  
  


Later, they lay tangled together, mingled sweat drying on their bare skin, their bodies spent. Their minds content and hazy.

Bo was curled against Tol’ket’s broad chest, her head resting on his arm, and she lazily traced patterns through the tight curls of hair on his chest. His eyes were closed, but she knew he was awake from the hand that gently combed through her hair again and again.

A thought flicked through her mind, and her anxiety over what lay ahead barrelled back down on her. She stilled, lost in her thoughts.

Tol’ket, alerted by her stillness, opened his eyes. He pulled the hand that had been moving against his chest to his lips, kissing each fingertip. “What is it, Bo?” he asked, voice quiet and low. The sound of it came from deep in his chest, and she could feel it through her body.

"I just realized this very well could be all we get, if it all goes badly,” she said, her voice sounding more frantic than she meant.

"Hush, Bo," he whispered, kissing the crown of her head. "Let's not think or worry about the future. Stay here with me  _ right _ now. We have right now, and that's all that matters." 

She burrowed in closer to him. Felt him pull the covers up over them more completely. "You sound like a karking  _ jetii _ ."

He laughed, a deep, sweet sound. "I've spent nearly twenty years in the service of one. At some point I'm bound to pick up on a few things. Not everything they say is complete  _ osik."  _ He tipped her head up and kissed her again. “Stay right here with me, Bo.”

So, she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are ya'll happy now?????
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> Gar shuk meh kyrayc- You're no use dead.  
> Mesh'la- Beautiful.
> 
> I know I haven't gotten to your comments. I read them all. There's just, like, A LOT of them. Like, a lot a lot, and I would need to invest a lot of time in answering them....when what I really wanted to do was get this chapter done! I love you (you too, silent readers. I see you, and love you. You are valid).


	62. Oya Manda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mando'ade prepare to move on the Sith Lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, you lovelies! I'm happy you are happy! Your comments give me LIFE. Just so we're clear, I am and always will be the ORIGINAL Bo'ket shipper. I've shipped this since he pulled his blaster on her. Maybe even since they both snarked and carried on like asses via holo. I, for one, am very relieved to finally have gotten to this point for you all....even though I've known for AGES it was coming.
> 
> This chapter, though fairly innocuous, was weird and unruly and there are a few things that cropped up that I wasn't expecting but that I love. Which necessitated upping the final chapter count (why I thought I could cram this chapter and the next into one is BEYOND me). Sorry it took so long. I think it's worth it.
> 
> Just another gentle reminder that I thought of what is coming LONG BEFORE JANUARY 6th. This is not inspired by current events. I'm just a weird, vague prophet, or something.
> 
> I HAVE read your comments. You all make me sooooo happy.

_19 BBY_

  
  


Anakin’s body burned. His mind burned. His soul burned.

He wanted sleep. He wanted Padme. Hell. In his worst moments since Sidious made himself known, he longed to be nine years old again, safe in his father’s arms in that giant, soft, cloud of a bed, his brother and his mother and his tiny baby sister all within easy reach. 

But he was allowed none of that. There was no peace for him. Only agony of every variety.

Time was meaningless. The room he was kept in was windowless, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to Sidious’ visits. At some point, Anakin had felt the cool, soothing waves of his father’s fathomless presence in the Force. He had been close. So close. Anakin had reached for him, but the Force was muddled, distant, and it slipped through his mind’s grip. He had despaired when the soothing, bottomless ocean of his father’s signature in the Force had ebbed away, disappearing in the cacophony of life on Coruscant.

Anakin was utterly alone.

He was unsure what day it was, or even if it was morning or evening, when Sidious entered the nondescript room once again. He was sure they hadn’t left the Senate building. If he could only scream, maybe someone would hear. But he was too exhausted to scream. His throat, too raw.

“They’re looking for you, Anakin.” The man looked at him, that evil, twisted smirk on his lips. “But you know that, don’t you? Foolish Mandalorians and their insistence on family.” The man stalked around him. Anakin had once considered the man almost frail. Delicate. But now, as his true self, he was almost feline like. A predator. Powerful. Deliberate.

It was terrifying.

“Think how safe you could keep them, Anakin. Your precious _family_ and your precious Mandalore. All of this can end. You can be with them, protect them, if you just rule by my side.”

Anakin fought against his cramping muscles’ protests and pulled himself to his knees. Then, with the help of the wall behind him, to his feet. The man may ooze dark power, but Anakin still loomed over him.

“ _Never.”_

Sidious’ face twisted into a mask of immense disgust. “So be it. Then _you_ will suffer, and so will they. Your family will fall, starting with your wife and your child. Then I will see your planet _burn.”_

Anakin didn’t respond. He couldn’t. The lightning hit him again, and he fell to his knees, muscles spasming. He called to the Light Side, grasping at the shredded tendrils of it, prayed it was enough to root him to it.

* * *

Bo floated toward consciousness from a dreamless sleep, slowly waking to a strange sense of disorientation. She sifted hazily through her thoughts in an effort to place herself, and suddenly realized a warm body was pressed to her back, heavy arms wrapped around her. 

Panic clawed at her as her heart suddenly pounded in her chest. She scrambled to pull free of the arms, only for them to loosen their grip at her movement, instead of tighten and trap her, as she expected.

"Bo. Shhhh, Bo-Katan." A voice. A low, warm, honeyed baritone. "Bo, it's only me." The voice was close to her ear.

She turned her head, and went limp with relief at the sight of Tol'ket's concerned face. "Tol'ket," she breathed. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, kissing the point of her shoulder.

She rolled to her back and reached up, caressing his cheek with a shaky hand. "I'm sorry."

He caught her hand with his, and kissed it. "Don't apologize. Are you ok?"

She nodded. "I guess I woke up a little confused and my ridiculous brain clicked into flight mode. The last person I woke up next to wasn't as sweet or as handsome as you."

She knew he tried to hide the dark shadow that crossed his face before he smiled, but she still saw it. "Flattery, _cyare,_ will get you everywhere."

He leaned in and kissed her, and the last tendrils of panic began to melt away. She laced her arms around his neck, pulling him down on to her.

The reprieve only lasted a moment. A sound, far down the corridor outside Tol'ket's room froze them both in place.

"What was-" Tol'ket started, but Bo silenced him with a finger to his lips. 

The sound came again, and Bo scrambled out of the bed. "It's Satine!" 

"Blast it!" Tol'ket exclaimed, working to untangle himself from the linens.

Bo yanked the cover from the bed, ignoring his growls of protest, and wrapped it around herself as she moved to the desk, grabbing one of Tol'ket's blasters.

"Bo!" Satine's yelling was clearer now, moving past the door, frantic and shrill.

Bo leapt to the door, palming it open, as Tol'ket shouted for her to wait. She was in the hallway in a step, blaster ready in one hand, as she held the blanket closed at her chest. She felt more than saw Tol'ket's presence close behind her, another blaster primed and ready beside hers.

To her relief, Satine was not in the clutches of some unknown villain's hand. She stood outside Bo's door, still in her nightgown, holding a fuming beskar clad Lily by the top of her backplate.

"What the hell?" Bo said, lowering the blaster. 

Satine spun, dragging a scrambling Lily with her. Their eyes both went wide simultaneously. 

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Satine said, placing her free hand to her brow and squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. 

" _Haar'chak,"_ Tol'ket growled, and stepped back into his state room. Bo glanced over at him through the doorway. He was naked, only a sheet wrapped around his waist. Bo started laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"I'm glad you're amused, Bo-Katan," Satine hissed. "And I am certainly glad to see you two finally figured out whatever this is, but we have a situation." She gave Lily the slightest of shakes.

"I...I can see that," Bo sighed, tightening her grip on her blanket. "Lily Bo, what in the name of all our ancestors- wait. No. Let me get dressed."

"Clearly," Satine said, arching an eyebrow. “We'll wait for you in the dining room. Get dressed and then come help me sort this one out." She glanced toward the still open door. "I would like your input, as well, Tol'ket," she called.

Bo glanced into the room where Tol'ket was pulling on his flight suit, looking like he wanted to melt through the floor. "Of course, your grace." He shrugged at Bo, and she smirked back, then moved toward her room. 

She stopped in front of Satine and Lily. “Give me fifteen minutes,” she said to Satine. Then she poked Lily hard in the chestplate. “Then we’ll deal with you, _ori'am'ika_. Now, if you’ll both excuse me.” She palmed open her door and entered her room with as much dignity as she could manage. The door slid shut behind her, sparing her anymore embarrassment. She sat heavily on the bed, took a deep, settling breath, shook her head at the strange and beautiful series of events of the last few hours, and then, she laughed.

* * *

Satine stared for a beat at the closed door of her sister’s state room, then shook her head, refocusing on the major problem at hand. Well, the only one that could be dealt with from hyperspace aboard the _Coronet._

She finally let go of Lily’s backplate, from where she had snatched her from the air duct she had been trying to climb back into a few minutes earlier, and instead grabbed her hand. 

“Come along, child. I might as well get dressed for the day, as well,” she growled, dragging Lily back down the quiet corridor toward her state room. 

To Lily’s credit, she for once kept her mouth shut, and allowed herself to be led into her mother’s room. Satine pointed at a chair in the sitting area. “Sit. Do _not_ move, Lily Bo. I will be right back.”

Lily nodded stiffly, but continued to stay mute. Satine nodded back, and moved to the small dressing room off the fresher, where the few things she had packed had been stored for her.

Lily had been very vocal when it had only been her and Satine, pleading her case and begging for mercy in the seconds after being pulled from the vent, her panic over her poorly thought out plan being foiled sending her mouth into overdrive. But as soon as Lily had realized her mother had been serious about waking up not only Bo, but Tol’ket, as well, Lily had clammed up tight.

Seeing both Bo and Tol’ket in their highly compromised states, both practically gods, capable of no wrong in Lily’s eyes, had certainly helped keep her quiet. 

Satine quickly dressed, working almost forgotten clasps and buckles closed as she quietly muttered a prayer to herself. Once done, she studied herself for a moment in the mirror, trying to place the feelings and emotions that swirled within her at the image staring back. Then, stomping all that down, she quickly smoothed her hair back neatly out of her face, containing it with the intricately designed Mandalorian lily hair clasp Obi-Wan had given to her some years earlier.

After one more glimpse in the mirror, allowing herself the small thought that she did actually look quite stellar, she took a steadying breath, she stepped back out into the area where Lily was sitting.

Lily was distracted when she first walked up to her, fussing with the built in comm unit on one of the gauntlets of her armor. But Satine’s armored kama clinked softly as she stopped in front of her daughter, catching her attention. Lily looked up from her work and gasped, nearly sucking all the air right out of the room. 

“ _Manda’ner!”_ she shouted, tripping over her own feet as she bolted out of the chair, leaping to a stop in front of her mother. She brushed soft fingers across the lilies painted on Satine’s chestplate, almost exactly like the one’s Bo had painted on Lily’s. “When did you have time to get _beskar’gam,_ Mum?” she breathed, her sullen indignation of being caught instantly replaced with reverence and shock. 

“I never stopped having it, Lily. I’ve had it since I was your age.” She caught Lily’s hand, and gave it a tender squeeze. “I just have had no reason to wear it until today.”

Lily gave her a long, puzzled, sad look. “I wish I had known. I wish I had known this was part of you,” she finally said after a long beat.

“What do you mean, Lily? I’m Mandalorian. It’s as much a part of me as it is you.”

Lily shook her head hard, her face pinched in frustration, and her eyes suddenly went glassy with tears. “No. No, that’s not true, Mum. You’ve always made me think that _this_ part of me,” she gestured at her own armor _,_ “was wrong. That it was wrong to want to know it.”

Satine inhaled sharply, as if she’d been slapped. “Oh, Lily. I’ve never wanted to deny you of your heritage. I’ve only ever wanted to protect you and the boys and….well, all of Mandalore, from the violence of our past.”

Lily jerked her hand away, and spun on her heels. “Well, that’s not how it has ever seemed. And a lot of good that did.” She moved toward the door. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

Satine sighed and followed Lily out into the ship, stumbling directly into Ahsoka, who had disappeared into her quarters shortly after they had entered hyperspace the evening before, on the pretense of meditating.

“Lily!” she exclaimed, grabbing Lily by both shoulders to keep her from toppling over. . “What are you doing here?”

Satine sidestepped both the girls and headed down the corridor, toward the dining room. “That, my dear Ahsoka, is the million credit question. And we’re about to get to the bottom of it.” Both girls trailed in her wake.

“I say the million credit question is why Mum has been hiding her _beskar’gam_ from us,” Lily said, her sullen tone back.

“Lily, not _now._ We’ll discuss this all later,” she scolded, looking over her shoulder at Lily as she palmed the door control for the dining room. She jumped as a caf cup clattered to the floor as the door slid open. She turned back to see Bo rooted to the floor, eyes wide with shock, a broken cup at her feet. Tol’ket stood behind her, frozen in place with a carafe in his hands, his expression mirroring Bo’s. 

Lily elbowed roughly past Satine and walked over to a table laden with pastries and fruit and other foods the _Coronet_ staff knew were favored for breakfast by the royal family. “Oh yeah, Auntie Bo. Mum’s had her _beskar’gam_ hidden away, apparently.”

Bo finally blinked as Tol’ket, quicker to recover from the shock of seeing the Duchess in armor, gently pulled her away from the spilled caf as a server rushed in to clean up. 

“Are those the lilies I painted?” Bo asked in a whisper, moving to stand in front of Satine, tracing her fingers over the delicate lilies. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, and one trickled down Bo’s freckled cheek. Satine gently brushed it away and nodded. Bo looked away from the lilies to Satine’s face. “But how?”

Satine shrugged. “I haven’t changed it, at all, since I was nineteen. When we were on Kalevala.” 

Bo’s breath hitched, and Satine could see her working hard not to fall victim to the tears threatening to spill. Satine knew Bo was thinking about that day, when they distracted themselves from their fear of the unknown and the boredom of being stuck in their ancestral home on Kalevala. They’d spent the day fussing over and repainting their armor together. They’d had no access to a trained armorer or smelter to make proper fit adjustments for either of them, though Satine’s had fit far better than Bo’s. But they’d done their best to tweak what they could, and Bo had taken it upon herself to paint Satine’s favorite flowers across the chestplate of her sister’s _beskar’gam_. They were sweet memories, even if they had both been terrified.

Little had they known they’d be separated for years only a month later.

Satine tugged at the painted chestplate, where it sat against her ribs, a bit tight. “I will say, the armor hasn’t changed, but, well, I certainly have.” 

Bo immediately caught her meaning and smirked at her. “I have some tricks. I can fix it while we deal with Lily.” She raised a questioning brow, and Satine nodded. Bo nodded back, and gently, deftly began undoing the fasteners holding the plate to Satine’s flak vest. Once free, Bo began studying it, digging absently into a pouch on her belt and producing a multitool.

Tol’ket pressed a firm but gentle hand to both their backs. “Sit, both of you, and eat.” Satine did as he said, sitting at the small breakfast table. He placed a cup of tea in front of her, replaced Bo’s spilled caf, then gestured at the girls. “You two. Sit, eat. You have to be hungry, Ahsoka, did you even eat last night?” He turned to Lily as she sat next to Ahsoka, narrowed his eyes. “And, _you._ Do I even want to know?” He gestured roughly to staff, and plates of food were set in front of all of them. “We have seventy five minutes until we come out of hyperspace at the rendezvous point, and the very least I can do is make sure you four are fed.” 

Satine, despite her stress, couldn’t help but smile at the man. He took his role utterly seriously. If the only threat to the Kryze family was low blood sugar, he would protect them against even that.

Tol’ket sat down beside Bo, looked around the table, then deliberately tucked into his plate. Ahsoka, never one to be shy around food, followed suit. Satine did the same, as did Lily, sighing dramatically, before digging in. Bo, still fussing with the chestplate, ignored her food. Tol’ket pried the multitool away from her. 

“Hey! I have to fix this,” she growled.

“And I need you to eat. We have time to fix it. We don’t know when we’ll have another chance to eat. Eat, _cyare.”_

Satine stared down at her plate, trying to ignore the fact that she heard the sweet, whispered endearment, but she still caught sight of Bo’s lips quirking up slightly at it, before giving Tol’ket a tiny nod, and relented, picking up a savory pastry and ripping off a chunk. Tol’ket nodded in satisfaction, and turned back to his plate.

Bo gestured at Lily with the rest of her pastry. “Satine, what do we do with the stowaway?”

Satine dabbed at her lips with her napkin, gathering her thoughts. “I suppose Obi-Wan and I will have to take her to Padme before we head to the Senate building. We’ll have to allow time for that before Death Watch makes their move.”

Bo nodded, taking another bite before washing it down with caf. “It will hold things up, but we’re only on the clock once Palpatine is called out.”

The adults and Ahsoka, far too adult for her age all nodded, mulling the new move in their head, quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.

Lily slammed down her fork. “I want to go with you to the Senate building.”

“No. No, Lily, we aren’t even humoring this,” Satine said, taking a sip of tea.

“Why the hell not? You _know_ I can fight. I _have_ fought!”

“Lily, fighting to protect your home from invaders is completely different from what we’re about to do,” Bo said quietly, reaching across the table to squeeze Lily’s hand. The girl ripped away from her aunt’s gentle touch.

“So what? We’re still protecting our family, aren’t we? What’s the difference?”

“The difference, Lily Bo,” Tol’ket said, leveling his serious, stern gaze onto her, “is that we are about to engage in acts of war.”

Lily gestured aggressively at Ahsoka. “She’s been fighting in a war since she was fourteen! Dad was off doing Force knows what with Master Qui-Gon when he was _my_ age.”

Ahsoka, who had been making up for missing dinner the night before, set her utensils down and turned to face Lily. “That’s different, Lily. We were Jedi when we were doing those things. We go where we are needed. Where the Force wills us.”

“Maybe I am needed here. Maybe the Force wills me to be here.” Lily quirked an eyebrow at the table, and Satine _knew_ the girl looked far too much like herself in that moment.

“Lily-” Bo started, but Lily interrupted.

“How old were you, Aunt Bo, when you fought?”

Bo paled, and swallowed hard. “I was fifteen, Lily. And I fought because I had to. I was...because I was forced to.” She looked down at her lap, and Satine realized Tol’ket had taken Bo’s hand, poorly hidden beneath the table. “I would never, ever want that for you, Lily Bo.”

Lily was undaunted, though. “What about you, Tol’ket? You fought in the civil war, didn’t you? How old were you?”

Tol’ket rubbed roughly at his forehead with his free hand. “The first time I ever had to defend our home against what would later become those who opposed your grandfather was when I was thirteen. Six months after my _Resol’nare._ I fought in the war in earnest when I was fifteen.”

Lily looked at Satine triumphantly, as if they were discussing curfews and not everyone’s stolen childhoods. “Lily, you are being ridiculous. Do you understand what we’re heading into?”

Lily nodded. “Dad and Korkie and Soka and the Protectors are going to confront a Sith Lord and hopefully find and free Ani. Bo and Death Watch are supposed to hold off any of the troopers.”

Satine exchanged a long look with Bo before speaking. “Well, apparently you _were_ listening.”

“So, I can go?”

“No!” everyone but Tol’ket shouted. Satine looked at the Protector, who was lost, deep in thought. “Tol’ket, tell her she’s not going,” she pressed.

He sighed. “She should come with us. She should go with Bo-Katan.”

Satine thought she had momentarily lost her mind. “You aren’t serious. Now is not the time for jokes, Protector.”

He shook his head. “I kid you not, your grace. Lily has proven to be slippery and sneaky, and I am not just referring to this latest incident. If we leave her with Padme, she will just make her way to where she wants to be. As she always does.” He gave Lily a hard glare. She returned it with a look of sheer victory. “She will immediately put herself in danger, if she isn’t immediately arrested.

“If Protectors who have known her since she was an infant can’t stay a few steps ahead of her, I highly doubt Gregar Typho’s very skilled force of guards will be able to contain her at all. So, she should go. She’ll stay with Bo. She can shadow Bo. Be under Bo’s direct command. She listens to Bo, better than anyone else.”

Satine hated the fact that he was right. He was absolutely right. One way or another, Lily was going to join this fight. It was better to do it under their terms than Lily’s. 

“There’s a problem with this _brilliant_ plan of yours, Tol’ket,” Bo said. “Death Watch is jetpacking in. Lily doesn’t know how.”

“Yes, I do!”

“ _What?!”_ Satine barked in unison with Bo, while a surprised laugh escaped Ahsoka. Satine had allowed her children to learn many things of their warrior heritage, many Lily was adept at. But she had always drawn the line at jetpacks. She didn’t even like that the Protectors used them on rare occasions, though she had been grateful in those moments.

Lily gestured at Tol’ket. “He taught me.”

  
  


“Tol’ket, what in seven Corellian hells were you thinking?” Bo growled, turning to face him fully in her seat.

“Thank you, Bo. You took the words right out of my mouth,” Satine said, pushing her plate away roughly and standing up.

“Have you two met this child?” he growled back, all pretense and decorum gone. “Frankly, her pestering got to the point that I worried she would just try and figure it out herself and go and break her neck. So, I taught her how.” He looked at her. “As far as I know, she’s only ever done it under supervision. She’s followed my rules.” Lily nodded excitedly. Lily was not one to lie. Sneak out and escape Protectors? Absolutely. But not outright lie.

Satine paced the length of the room, fingers pressed to her eyes, thinking, trying to piece together just what was about to happen. Not just to her family, the people she loved and cherished, but to the people who would follow her and her husband to the end of the galaxy and back, without question. And her youngest child seemed bent on following that example. 

She finally stopped and turned back to Bo. “What are you thinking?”

Bo picked her multitool back up, and made some unseen adjustment to Satine’s chestplate. “I’m thinking that I absolutely hate it when he is right. And I am thinking that as long as I’m breathing, I will keep Lily safe.”

Satine sighed. Damnit. She knew Bo would. She also agreed with Bo- she hated that Tol’ket was right. She turned to Ahsoka. “Ahsoka, my _jetii’ika._ Any thoughts?”

Ahsoka pursed her lips together. She’d been quiet through the majority of the discussion, but had been listening intently. She closed her eyes for a moment, and Satine assumed that, like Obi-Wan and the other children, she was searching the Force, trying to see if it would offer them a hint. 

She shook her head and opened her eyes, shrugging just a little. “If Lily is anything like Korkie and Anakin, she’ll be ok. She’s smart and capable and, well, she could outshoot a lot of the clones. This may be the way to keep her safest, since she’s here, and not still on Mandalore.” She looked at Lily, cocking one of her white eyebrows at the girl. 

Lily’s eyes were growing larger than the moment, realizing she would get her way. Satine had not said it, but it was the way it would be. The foolish child could not be told no if her mind was set to something. Lily, as if reading her mother’s mind, looked at her, expectant, on the edge of her seat.

“Fine,” Satine relented. Lily screamed, but Satine raised a hand, her face deadly serious. Lily closed her mouth. Satine walked towards Lily, continuing to speak. “You will go with Bo. You will do _nothing_ that she does not directly tell you to do. You do not take a step, you do not raise a blaster, you do not utter a sound, unless directly ordered by Bo-Katan. If she tells you to stay put, you stay put. If she tells you to run, you run faster than you have ever run in your life.” She pulled Lily’s chair around to face her, Kneeled so they were eye to eye. “Do you understand me, Lily Bo? Are we crystal clear on this?”

Lily nodded solemnly. “Say it, Lily. Let me hear you say you understand me.”

“I understand you, Mum.”

Satine swallowed, fighting the wave of grief that suddenly barreled toward her. This is _not_ the life she wanted for her children. But the universe seemed set on making Clan Kryze fight like hell from far too young. She caressed Lily’s cheek, ran a hand down her long braid. “Good girl, Lily, my little love. _Ner verd’ika.”_

Satine cleared her throat, then stood, clapping her hands together. “Alright then. Everyone eat a bit more. No one has eaten enough. We still have a little time.”

* * *

  
  


“Obi-Wan, you can’t be serious?” 

Bail Organa stood in the middle of Padme and Anakin’s living room. He didn’t look angry or sad. Just flabbergasted. “If what Anakin said in that message, if what he’s alluding to is true, then I don’t know if I should be going to the Jedi with this.”

“You have to trust us, Bail,” Padme said from the spot on the sofa where she had been forced to recline by Tekla, her handmaiden. “We don’t want to tell you anything so you aren’t dragged in to any of this, but we need you to do this.”

Obi-Wan nodded along with Padme. “It’s for your safety, Bail.”

“But what about what Anakin said?” Bail asked.

“Yes, yes, I know what Anakin said, but I need the Jedi to know what Anakin has found out, and I need you to take my message to them.”

Bail sighed, his broad shoulders slumping. He looked out over the balcony to the impressive view of Coruscant beyond. He finally turned back to Padme. “And you won’t tell me what this is about? Other than it is about Anakin going to Chancellor?”

Padme shook her head. “If you don’t know what is going on, you will be able to help us on the other side.”

“I don’t like this, Padme,” he said, sitting down on the sofa at her feet. “Why can’t I help now? There has to be some way.”

Padme glanced at Obi-Wan, a hand resting on her belly. She looked exhausted, drained. He worried for her. The stress was barely manageable for him. He couldn’t imagine the toll it was taking on her and her pregnancy. “There really isn’t any way, unfortunately, Bail. What we’re doing is the only viable solution.” He placed a hand on the larger man’s shoulder. “Trust me. If there was another way, we absolutely would be doing it.”

Korkie stepped in then, looking exhausted and nervous himself. “Dad?”

Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgement. “I have to go.” He pulled out a datachip that he had recorded a message to the Jedi council on earlier. “Give this to Master Yoda or Master Windu. Only them.”

Bail nodded, taking the chip with another sigh. He rose, and mimicked Obi-Wan, laying a big hand on his shoulder. “Be safe, my friend. I will be sure they get this. “May the Force be with you.”

Obi-Wan smiled tightly, bowing his head slightly to Bail. “May the Force be with us all.” With that, he leaned down and kissed Padme on the cheek, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. They exchanged small, sad smiles, then Obi-Wan followed Korkie out, toward the shuttle they would take to rendezvous with the _Coronet,_ and the near full contingent of Protectors and Death Watch. 

The time was fast approaching.

* * *

  
  


Death Watch and Protectors stood before Obi-Wan, pushed tightly together in the crowded hangar bay of the _Coronet._ The energy was far different than he was accustomed to with these people. Gone was the rowdy, good natured energy of brazen and battle hardened commandos anticipating the opportunity to squash down a threat to their people. Now, the implication of what they were doing weighed heavily on everyone, and the quietness of his people made the air solemn and heavy. 

He glanced at Satine, flanked by Korkie and Ahsoka, resplendent and glorious in _beskar'gam_ she apparently had kept hidden away for nearly two decades. He had put aside his shock of it, filing it away for later, and just decided to accept it without question. Besides, it had become clear, almost immediately upon his arrival, that Satine was tired of discussing it.

She looked up then, shaking him from his reverie in her new, fierce beauty, and offered him a small smile and nod of encouragement. He breathed deep, letting her faith in him bolster his spirit.

He glanced across the holo table to Bo-Katan, who was in deep discussion with Ursa Wren and Greer Eldar, Lily at her elbow. _That_ was another thing that he had relented to accepting. Though not as quickly or without some questions. After hearing of his youngest’s foolish idea to stow away and the final decision to keep her in the protection of Bo-Katan, he decided he would just trust the wisdom of his wife and his two seconds. It was just easier that way.

He caught Bo’s eye, and nodded. She returned the nod, whispered something to Ursa, then helped boost the smaller woman up to the lip of the holo table. 

“ _Ne’johaa, di’kutla besome!_ ” she shouted what now Obi-Wan was learning was the standard call to order for the Death Watch. The crowd, already quieter than he’d ever seen them, went silent and turned their attention toward the center. Ursa nodded. “Your Mand’alor wishes to speak.” Then she hopped back down between Bo and Greer, nodding at Obi-Wan to go ahead.

All eyes turned to Obi-Wan, expectant and reverent. He cleared his throat. “What we’re about to do is not for the faint of heart, even hearts as strong and brave as those that beat in all of you. I cannot help but think of the _Resol’nare_ as I stand before you. For some of us it is ‘ _Kar’a’novo allit’_ that drives us to the actions we are about to take. But, for most of you, it is not lost on me that you are driven by ‘ _Ke’shekemi haar Mand’alor.’_ For that, I am forever grateful and forever in your debt. _Vor entye.”_ He paused, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. Satine, once again, nodded to him in encouragement. He breathed deep and continued.

“While we go into this with the main objective of saving Anakin, if done right, we may be able to end this war for good, restoring peace to the galaxy. But, even still, this will not be easy. I know you all are prepared to fight, and I know you will fight strong and true. But, when the time comes, you _must_ be strong enough to let peace reign. When the time comes you must be brave enough to lay down your weapons.” Bodies shifted nervously, uncomfortable with the plan laid before them. “You are Mando’ade. Surrender is not something you take lightly, but I will not steer us wrong. If we commit to following our plan, we will return Anakin to our fold, bring down an evil that has brought death and destruction down upon the galaxy, and we will help restore peace, at last.”

Someone shouted _“Oya!”_ and a chorus of responding calls came back, driving the commandos and Protectors into cheers and chants. Obi-Wan saw Bo nudge Ursa before Ursa let out an ear piercing whistle. “ _K’uur!_ We’re not done! Shut your mouths and listen to Lady Bo-Katan!” All mouths instantly shut, eyes turned to Bo, eager.

Bo nodded once, sharp and curt, and flicked on the holo table. A holographic schematic of the Senate building flickered to life. “Right. Death Watch, our main objective is to set up and defend a perimeter around the Senate building and complex. It is _vital_ to the family and the Protectors that we keep any and all Republic forces, including Jedi, from entering the building as long as possible. Preferably, until we receive the all clear.” The projection turned slowly in front of her, as holographic blips approached the building from the air. “We will be using our jet packs to infiltrate Coruscanti air space and gain access to the building. From there, we will set up our perimeter.” She zoomed in on a main entrance, standard guards highlighted in red. “The place is well guarded, but with our numbers, easy enough for us to subdue. But these Senate guards are no joke. I expect you to stay focused. Do _not_ get complacent. The quicker we take them out, the longer it will take for the Coruscant garrison of clone troopers to come to the building’s aid. You need to move _quickly_ and with stealth. Your team leaders will assign roles once we are on our shuttles.”

Murmurs began to filter through the crowd, but Bo squashed it all down. “Hey! I was _not_ finished.” The murmuring ceased. “A few important notes, following up what the Mand’alor said. We only shoot to _stun.”_ An uproar went up through the crowd, but silenced as soon as Bo raised a hand. “Those defending the Senate are _not_ our enemy. The only enemy we have is the man the Mand’alor and his family will be dealing with. Stun only. Am I clear?”

Affirmatives and nods were grudgingly given. “Second, if all goes well, as soon as we receive the all clear, we are _all_ to lay down our weapons and surrender. _Immediately._ Without question or failure. At that point, we will be in the hands of our allies. Am I clear on that point?”

More nods, more affirmatives. Bo nodded in response. “ _Jate._ Now Captain Tol’ket has a few words.” She nodded toward Tol’ket, standing next to Obi-Wan. 

Tol’ket held her gaze for a beat then nodded. “Those Protectors who will not be accompanying the family, your mission will be to clear the building. You will move any civilians to safe rooms, clear any aggressors that are in the building with the same protocols Lady Bo-Katan has already laid out, and aid Death Watch in defending the building until you receive the all clear. If you are not leaving this ship with me, you are under the direct control of Lady Bo-Katan. You are to follow her orders or any orders given through her proxies, to the _letter._ Understood?”

The Protectors nodded, solemn and steady. Tol’ket nodded back, then looked to Bo-Katan, signaling he was done. She nodded at him. “Anything else?” Her eyes flashed to Obi-Wan, Satine, and back to Tol’ket, where they stayed. Everyone shook their heads. She nodded, visibly taking a deep breath. “OK. Let’s go do this then. _Oya Manda._ May the Force be with us.”

With that benediction, the briefing concluded. Commandos and Protectors stood for a moment, quiet and subdued, the immenseness of what they were about to embark on weighing heavily on everyone. The Force vibrated with anxious energy, but there was a soft undercurrent of rightness, too. Obi-Wan wished his loyal Mando'ade could feel it as he could, to assuage their nerves.

Finally, as if an unspoken, collective decision was made, groups began to break up, moving toward their various shuttles. Low murmurs began to fill the hangar, and final checks were made on jet packs and gear.

After a final word with Ursa and Greer, Bo started to swivel on her heels and head toward the shuttle and group she would command, Lily in her shadow. Tol'ket, standing at Obi-Wan's side, suddenly jerked, as if shocked with a bantha prod. He rushed forward, after Bo. 

"Bo-Katan!"

She turned, their eyes locking. "Tol'ket," she breathed.

The man closed the distance between them in one long stride and, much to Obi-Wan's great surprise, he wrapped a hand around the back of her head, fingers tangling in her fire red hair, and kissed her fiercely. Bo, unlike Obi-Wan, did not seem surprised, and returned the kiss with all the same fervour as Tol'ket.

Obi-Wan seemed to not be the only one surprised, as Ursa’s eyes went wide with shock as she scrambled to pull Lily away, in some attempt of offering the pair some modicum of privacy. Greer barked a surprised laugh then swore colorfully in Mando’a.

"Aled!” Korkie shouted to his Protector. “You owe me twenty credits!” Satine elbowed him sharply while Ahsoka laughed. Several long wolf whistles echoed through the hangar, as well as some whoops and cheers of appreciation. And, all the while, Tol’ket and Bo stayed locked in their own private universe.

The two broke apart, but rested their heads together, quiet and still. They seemed to have forgotten they were not alone. Obi-Wan looked to Satine, who was watching the exchange with amusement. When he caught her eye, she shrugged, seemingly the only other person outside of the lovers not surprised by this sudden outburst.

"Bo," Obi-Wan could hear Tol’ket saying, "if I only get this chance-"

"Don't you dare, Tol'ket," Bo said, emotion thick and heavy in her voice.

" _K’uur_ , woman, listen to me. _Ret'lini_ . If I only have _this_ moment, I want you to hear this." He kissed the crown of her head then tipped her head up by her chin to look at him before he went on. " _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum,_ Bo. Stars, do I love you."

Bo's eyes glistened with unshed tears in the harsh light of the hangar, and a light flush bloomed under her freckles. She placed a hand against his cheek, which he leaned into, wrapping his gloved hand around her wrist. " _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum,_ Tol'ket. I _will_ see you on the other side, _cyare_." 

Tol'ket closed his eyes, nodded, pressed a kiss into her palm. Then, he let her go. She stepped back, locked eyes with him once more, then turned again, shoving her helmet on, moving with purpose towards her shuttle, calling to Lily to follow. Ursa trotted after her. 

“What was _that?”_ Obi-Wan could just hear Ursa ask over the rising noise of the hangar.

“Not now, Ursa,” Bo barked, before their conversation became too faint to hear.

Tol'ket stood and watched Bo go, before squaring his shoulders, turning smartly on his heels and marching past Obi-Wan toward the shuttle that would take them to Coruscant, nodding as he passed.

Obi-Wan felt he had just bore witness to something immensely private and vital to the two people that he trusted most, outside his wife and children. He sent a prayer into the Force that, for their sake, they _would_ see each other on the other side of all of this.

Satine joined him at his side then, and took his hand. He looked at her, this new, fierce, glorious version of his love, then kissed her softly on the temple. “Come, my darling. We have an appointment to keep.” And, with that, he led her toward their shuttle. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, that escalated quickly!
> 
> Oh, hey, look at me making armor sweet and tender and mildly sad. I was not expecting that. I don't know why I didn't expect it, since I do that ALL the time, but I didn't. 
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day!  
> Ori'am'ika: trouble maker (literally little trouble. Thanks to my Obitine Forever Discord pals for helping me come up with this. There literally isn't a word in Mando'a for trouble, so this is actually "too many changes" with the diminutive "ika" tacked on. Ta da! Little trouble!)  
> Cyare: beloved  
> Ner verd'ika: my little warrior  
> Ne'johaa, dikutla besome: Shut up, you dumb louts!  
> (From the Resol'nare) Kar'a'novo allit: Defend the family.  
> (From the Resol'nare) Ke'shekemi haar Mand'alor: Rally to the cause of the Mand'alor.  
> Ret'lini: Just in case.  
> Ni kar'tayl gar darasum: I love you/I hold or know you in my heart forever.
> 
> These kids are READY for a fight!!! Hope you are, too!
> 
> FYI, I have read every single one of your comments, but I am DROWNING in them. I have *double checks* 154 unanswered comments right now. SO, I'm going to start answering them again from THIS chapter on (as they come, so I don't drown again). I know there's a few messages with questions....I will go back and try to find those and answer them. You all are the BEST and I love you all so much.


	63. Maelstrom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a battle for Anakin, Mandalore, and the galaxy itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on to your butts!!
> 
> It's another doozy of a chapter. Settle in for the ride.
> 
> CW for some mild descriptions of blood and other gory things. Very mild, I think.
> 
> This jumps around between POVs a fair bit, and some of the action overlaps and backtracks. If you see any discrepancies in all that, just pretend you didn't notice.
> 
> I probably won't say much at the end, so you can just digest, so, let me just say now how much I love and adore each and everyone of you! I am so glad this story brings so much joy and I hope it continues to do so. We're so close to the end now, and I'm just really excited and also really, really sad. I love this crazy family and I love you for joining me in their adventures.

_ 19 BBY _

Satine tightened her grip around Obi-Wan’s arm as he led their fierce little procession up the grand staircase of the main entrance of the Senate building. She was losing her nerve, wishing she’d stayed with Bo-Katan. Or, better yet, she wished she was with Padme, pacing a ditch into the floor of the living room. But there was no turning back.

Bo and Tol’ket had outfitted her with a variety of weaponry shortly after their tense breakfast, but the only one Satine felt capable with was the slugthrower, weighing heavily on her hip. It eased her nerves some to know it was one thing she was not only proficient in handling, but deadly with. _ If _ shooting targets on the range counted as deadly. She had no intentions of using it. Or even pulling it from the holster, but she found a strange sense of comfort knowing it was there. 

Obi-Wan squeezed her hand in the crook of his elbow at the top of the staircase, and, glancing at her, took a deep breath, encouraging her to mirror him. She did, trying to center herself, release her anxiety like he always instructed. It felt rather fruitless and pointless, but he seemed calm, as did Korkie and Ahsoka, following close behind. She glanced up and around at the Protectors surrounding them; Tol’ket, Fenn Rau, young, brave Aled, and three more Tol’ket had selected that she didn’t know quite so well. They looked a bit more properly anxious, unlike her family, the crazy  _ jetiise.  _

Obi-Wan halted them there at the top of the stairs, just out of earshot of the Senate guards. “Remember our plan. No one act until I give the word. Stay calm, be brave, and may the Force be with us,” he half whispered. Tol’ket and Rau muttered a quiet  _ oya.  _ Then, with more resolve than Satine could comprehend, Obi-Wan strode confidently into the building.

They’d chosen early evening specifically because, while it would be quiet with less chances of unintended casualties, it was still a perfectly reasonable time for planetary leaders to come in for late meetings, particularly with the ever hard working Chancellor. The guards didn’t even give them a second glance, familiar with all of their faces. 

They made their way quickly through the halls of the endless building, nodding occasionally at the rare person they encountered. They must have made quite the impression, what with Obi-Wan resplendent in his armor, Satine in her own for the first time in nearly twenty years, and both Korkie and Ahsoka outfitted as best as Bo and Ursa could manage with spare bits and pieces of beskar armor. They looked battle ready, but that was still the expected look for Mandalorians. Old views died slowly. Mandalorians, despite how hard she had worked the past two decades, would always be most familiar in the eyes of the galaxy at large as battle ready, war hardened warriors. 

At last they made it to the Chancellor's antechamber and pulled a stop, halted by his Red Guard. 

“We’d like to see the Chancellor,” Obi-Wan said, voice calm, yet assertive. “We have matters of great importance to discuss with him.”

“You do not have an appointment,” one guard said gruffly.

“We realize, but this is an emerging issue,” Satine said, feeding off of Obi-Wan’s confidence. “We need to speak with him immediately.”

The guards stood firm, planted in front of the wide doorway leading into Palpatine’s inner sanctum.

They remained that way for what felt like an eternity, a proper standoff, before one guard finally relented, muttering something into a commlink built into his bright red helmet. Another interminable wait, then, finally, they stepped aside, standing at attention on either side of the doorway. “He will see you.”

Satine allowed herself to be led through the door, catching Tol’ket’s nervous look as she passed him, leaving him and the other Protectors in the antechamber, as discussed. She smiled tightly at him, nodding as she went, trying to convey that they would be alright without him. She wished he could come in with them. Stand by her side as he had for so long, but that wasn’t possible. She passed him, leaving him to wait for the inevitable battle.

The Chancellor was seated behind his desk, Mas Amedda standing at his right hand. Palpatine rose, smiling warmly.

“Goodness! What a pleasant surprise,” he said, voice welcoming. “Almost the entirety of the Kryze-Kenobi family. Don’t tell me Anakin is still unwell.”

They stopped in front of his desk, Korkie stepping to Satine’s side, Ahsoka to Obi-Wan’s. “Anakin is not as well as we would like, Chancellor,” Obi-Wan said flatly.

“Oh no!” the older man exclaimed. “That is terrible news.”

Obi-Wan nodded stiffly. “Indeed it is. However, we do believe you may know something about that.”

Palpatine’s face went cold for a flash. Satine caught it, though it was just a flash. Just as she wondered if anyone else caught it, Korkie shifted beside her, clearing his throat.

The cold look was instantly replaced by a perplexed expression. “I’m afraid I don’t, Mand’alor Kenobi. I don’t know anything about Anakin’s illness.”

“He’s not  _ ill,  _ Chancellor,” Satine growled.

“He’s not? That has been my unders-”

“Please.” Obi-Wan raised a hand, stopping the man’s lies. “Please, Chancellor. We know you have Anakin.”

The man stared at them for several long beats, his face unreadable. Then he waved Mas Amedda out. He waited until the doors slid shut behind the Chagrian. Palpatine’s mask slipped. 

“I do not appreciate what you are implying, Mand’alor Kenobi,” he said, cutting his words short and sharp.

“And we do not appreciate you kidnapping our son for your own personal agenda,  _ Lord Sidious.” _

Satine braced for the rage, the power, but nothing came. The man just stood there, grinning wickedly. 

“Oh, please, Kenobi. You come here, a half trained Jedi, with nothing more than a couple of teenagers and your pacifist wife as back up, and you expect me to quake before you?” The man, in that moment, had the audacity to sit down, steepling his fingers. “You Mandalorians are a bold bunch, that is for certain.”

“Give us our son, Sidious, and we’ll consider not turning over the reams and reams of evidence Anakin has compiled against you.” Satine marveled at the levelness and calm Obi-Wan maintained. 

The man’s mask fully fell, and his face twisted in a cold, vulgar smile. “You have nothing that can touch me. And now you will pay the price for your impertinence.”

To Satine’s shock, the man she had always viewed as frail, leapt with incredible power over his desk, producing a blinding red lightsaber as he moved through the air. 

The room exploded with dazzling light as Obi-Wan and their two children met him head on. 

Satine dove, tucking and rolling behind Sidiuous’ desk, trying to stay away from the worst of the fray. Then, she toggled her commlink. “Now, Bo-Katan!”

* * *

“Put your helmet on, Lily Bo. We’re about to jump.” 

Bo turned away from the watching the early evening cityscape of Coruscant rush below them to look at her niece. The girl’s eyes were huge, suddenly realizing just what she had fought for the right to participate in. Bo didn’t know where Tol’ket had taught Lily to use a jetpack, but she had no doubt that it was  _ not  _ flying through the rush hour traffic of the city planet below them. 

She smirked at Lily. “Or you can stay on the shuttle and I can have the pilot reroute to Padme.”

Lily looked up from the traffic whizzing below them and narrowed her eyes in a hard scowl. “Absolutely not.”

“Then bucket on, little warrior. We’re jumping.”

Lily did as she was told, her shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath, then she gave Bo a quick nod to show she was ready. Bo nodded back, prayed that Tol’ket had taught this kid enough, then turned to the rest of her team. “Ready?” she asked through their in-helmet comms.

“Ready, boss.”

With one more nod and a look at Lily, Bo turned her back to the open hatch, and let go, letting the screaming wind pull her from the belly of the shuttle. She watched Lily do the same, pullling her long limbs tightly together as the air rushed past, the rest of the team jumping one after another. Bo allowed herself to free fall for another second, making sure Lily’s jet pack ignited properly, then rolled her body and did the same. Within a few seconds, Lily appeared to Bo’s right, just out of reach, but close enough Bo could see her easily in her peripheral vision, just as planned. So far, so good. 

The first part of their trip was easy enough. They had jumped from one upper traffic lane with a large gap of open air to the next. But they were approaching closely and would have to time their pass through it well.

“Stay with me, Lily,” she commed to Lily. “We’re aiming for that gap after the YT freighter. See it?”

There was a long pause, but then Lily came back. “I see it.”

Bo smiled a little to herself, proud of the girl’s bravery. A few seconds more, and they shot through the gap in traffic together. 

“Good job, kid. We have to stay sharp now. We’re entering the real traffic zones in a couple of seconds.”

The sentence was barely out of her mouth before they began to weave in and out of traffic, making a slow steady arc back toward the Senate building. Lily moved in tandem with Bo, flowing easily through the skyhoppers, air cars and speeders. After one particular close maneuver, Bo was sure she heard a whoop of joy from Lily. She laughed, clicking her comm on. “Stay focused, Lily,” she tried to admonish, though she was sure her laugh was poorly hidden.

“I am! I am! But this is so fun,” Lily came back, breathless with exhilaration.

They made it to the expansive roof of the Senate building, some commandos already landed and waiting. They touched down lightly together, joining the others. Or, at least Bo touched down lightly. Lily failed to cut enough power from the engine of her jet pack, and touched down too fast, then cut the engines entirely, sending her tumbling. She turned it into a graceful roll, quickly righting herself up on her feet, and, turning back to Bo, ran to her, laughing.

“ _ Wayii!  _ That was so much fun!” Lily crowed.

“Not bad, kid. We’ll work on the landings,” Bo said, ignoring the snickers of the nearby commandos who had witnessed Lily’s less than stellar landing. She gave her shoulder a quick, encouraging squeeze. “Now we’ve got the hard stuff. Stick with me, got it?”

“Got it.”

Lily trotted along behind Bo, then followed her lead as Bo stretched out on her stomach, peering over the lip of the roof. Around the edge of the roof, Death Watch and Protectors followed suit. Flipping down her rangefinder, Bo could make out commandos lighting on rooftops across the plaza, invisible to the naked eye against the garish lights of the city at dusk. 

Far below, right on time, Bo watched as Obi-Wan and Satine led their own group toward the grand staircase directly below Bo, Tol’ket at Obi-Wan’s side, as always. Now the waiting really began. It could be mere minutes before Satine signalled. It could be hours. She hoped it wasn’t hours. She hoped she actually received the signal, as daunting as this plan really was. At least if she got the go ahead, there would be hope.

Lily watched beside her, squirming a little in anticipation. “How long do you think it will take?” she asked as the group moved out of view.

“I don’t know. At least a few minutes. It’s a big building and I’m sure your father won’t just go on the attack.”

Lily made a noise of assent, and then fell quiet, unreadable behind her helmet. Bo took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, before checking in on the status of the other teams. Everyone was in place with no evidence that they were noticed. So far, so good. Now, all they could do was wait.

Which they did, until Lily gasped. “Get ready,” she whispered, barely audible through her helmet’s modulator.

“What?” Bo asked, perplexed. 

“It’s happening. I can feel it. Get ready.”

Bo turned to study her niece, just as Satine’s voice crackled through Bo’s comm. “Now, Bo-Katan!”

Bo smacked a toggle on her gauntlet, signalling everyone else, and in one swift move, was on her feet and pushing off the rooftop, igniting her jet pack. Lily, already alerted by her odd  _ jetii  _ senses, was right beside her. Within seconds, Bo had taken out the entirety of the guards stationed at the main entrance of the building, stunning them all, and was running into the building. Lily ran beside her, her father’s blue lightsaber ignited and ready to defend. Behind them was organized chaos, as Death Watch followed, taking up defensive positions at the door, or following Bo deeper into the building to secure it. 

So far, so good, Bo thought again, praying the same could be said for the rest of her family.

* * *

  
  


The man moved with shocking speed.

It was the only thought Korkie had in the first seconds after Sidious launched himself over his wide desk, igniting a lightsaber.

He moved far faster than Korkie thought a human could move, and it took everything in him to be ready to aid his father from the first few blows. The initial blows were wild, harsh, and brutal, bending Obi-Wan back, forcing him to give up ground just to stay on his feet, but Korkie and Ahsoka leapt into action, slicing down on Sidious from either side, drawing him away and allowing his father a chance to recover his footing. 

The dark lord was beyond skilled. He was supernatural, and, despite the fact that he was outnumbered, he seemed to be taking an immense amount of joy at handling them all far too easily. It felt as if he was merely toying with them. It was everything Korkie could do to block and defend himself, let alone even attempt to make any offensive moves.

Across from him, her green blades swirling, Ahsoka suffered the same, purely acting on defense, blocking lightning fast blow after blow. And the Darksaber whistled and hummed in its strange way, too, as Obi-Wan blocked blow after blow. 

Korkie desperately wanted to check on his mother, but knew if he allowed his attention to stray, he would be cut down, instantly. So, he called to the Force, and grounded himself in it, allowing it to flow through him, direct him. 

Suddenly, the room filled with Protectors, beskads pulled and ready. The invasion even surprised Sidious, who seemed to falter a moment, allowing Obi-Wan to get a glancing blow on the man’s shoulder. Aled leapt in beside Korkie, immediately blocking blows himself with the fearless, unquestioning way of his. Tol’ket and Rau and the others were there, too, fighting with everything they had. They were not Jedi, but they were brave, far braver than anyone Korkie knew, and beautifully trained. And Sidious had clearly not expected them, as he began to fight more defensively than attacking.

Korkie felt a tickle at the back of his mind, familiar but it felt discordant, out of sync. He reached for it, and it blazed to life. “Anakin!” he breathed. His distraction caused him to take a blow from the blazing red lightsaber, but it skittered and hissed off the beskar shoulder bell his aunt had strapped to him on his arrival on the  _ Coronet.  _ The presence dashed away from his mind, knowing it had distracted him.

Tol’ket fell in beside Korkie then, cutting and parrying alongside him. “Tol’ket, Anakin is  _ here.  _ You have to find him,” Korkie growled between blows. 

“What about you?” the man asked. “You all need me.”

“We also need to find Anakin. Get Mum, and get Anakin. We’ll draw them away.”

Tol’ket smashed a few good hard blows down onto Sidious’ blade. “Fine!” Then he spun away from the fray, far lighter on his feet then one would think for a man his size.

Aled had heard the exchange, and already was working to move the battle toward the antechamber. Korkie focused, dragging the Light side to him once again, cloaking himself in it. And, again, at the back of his mind, he felt the familiar subdued tickle of Anakin at the back of his mind. “Hold on, Ani,” he whispered. “Just hold on.”

* * *

  
  


To Satine’s small relief, Sidious stayed focused on Obi-Wan, Korkie, and Ahsoka. She wouldn’t trust that he was distracted, but he did seem to want to beat the daylights out of the three of them with his uncanny power, allowing Satine to move along the perimeter of the huge office. 

She moved in fits and starts, looking for signs that the horrid man was otherwise engaged, before moving from one ostentatious sculpture or bulky piece of furniture to another. The addition of the Protectors, beskads glinting in the artificial light, added another element of distraction, and she heard the welcome growl of pain from Sidious as Obi-Wan landed a blow. She stopped herself from feeling bad about her excitement that Obi-Wan had hurt the man. She did not care. This man had hurt her family, her home, the entire galaxy for far too long. A glancing blow from the Darksaber was well deserved. 

She moved toward the spacious sitting area of the Chancellor’s office, unsure of what she was looking for but compelled to search for  _ something.  _ A door, a hatch. Something.

Tol’ket appeared at her side, like a wraith, breathing heavily from the battle. “Korkie says he’s here.”

She glanced up at him, then at the fight, that was being drawn out into the antechamber. “Any hints as to where?”

He shook his head. “He didn’t give me a clue. Just said he’s here.”

Satine growled in frustration, then gave one more look toward the lightsaber battle. “Alright. I guess we just keep looking for a door.”

Tol’ket nodded, looked back toward the fight, and began scanning the room. “You check this side. I’ll look over here,” he grumbled, then moved to the far wall of the sitting area. Satine looked at the walls, and thought of the hidden shelters built into their own palace in Sundari, and began to press on walls, seeing if any gave way, opening to a space beyond. 

It went on like that for a few moments, and the thrumming, hissing sounds of the lightsaber battle grew fainter as the battle moved out into the corridor. Satine chastised herself to focus, and renewed her search for hidden seams in the walls or passages under furniture. 

“ _ Manda’ner!  _ Duchess!” Tol’ket shouted suddenly from the other side of the room. Satine spun in time to see a panel hiss and slide open, revealing a hidden room beyond. She ran over and made to bolt in, only halted by Tol’ket grabbing her by the arm. “Wait.” 

He shined a light inside, and, in the corner, huddled into a ball, sat Anakin.

“Ani!” Satine shouted, rushing in, falling to her knees at his side. “Oh, Ani.”

The young man lifted his head and turned to look at her. She gasped. His face was covered in burns, as where his hands and bare feet. She expected him to be bound some way, but there was nothing, only pain bound him. She gently took his face in her hands, tilting it left and right, then rested her forehead to his. “You’ve certainly looked better, bright one.”

He huffed a half-hearted laugh. “Thanks, Mum.” He breathed deeply, as if for the first time in days, his body relaxing. “Padme?” 

“She’s alright. She and the baby both. Can you get up?”

He sighed with relief, then nodded. “Yeah, yeah I think I can.”

Tol’ket was beside them in an instant, offering a gentle, steadying hand on Anakin’s arm as he slowly pulled himself upright. Anakin groaned in pain, but gently batted Satine away as she tried to inspect him for worse injuries than the burns across his face, hands, and feet.

“I’m alright, Mum,” he muttered, stiffly walking forward a few steps.

“I beg to differ, Anakin.”

“How long has it been?” he asked quietly, ignoring her, as they stepped out into the sitting room. “Wait. I was just right here?!” he asked incredulously. 

“You didn’t know?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I was knocked out when I was put in there. Sithspit, I should have actually tried shouting.”

Tol’ket shook his head as he supported Anakin across the room. “Room’s soundproof. Creepy  _ demagolka.  _ And it’s been five days since you disappeared, you  _ di’kut.” _

“That I am. I wonder where he hid my lightsaber,” Anakin said, pulling free of Tol’ket’s supporting frame.

“Anakin, leave it. We need to get out of here. Get you to medics,” Satine pleaded, already reading the look on his face. 

He shook his head as he started rummaging through the Chancellor’s desk. “I need to help them.”

“Ani! You’re in no shape to do any such thing,” Satine admonished.

“Doesn’t matter. They need me.”

Satine looked hopelessly at Tol’ket, who only shrugged and shook his head. He was far too familiar with these children of hers to even try to fight the determination that was in Anakin’s eyes.

“Aha! Here it is!” Satine looked over as Anakin closed his eyes, his hand hovering in front of a drawer. He stayed like that for a moment, then grunted in frustration, opened his eyes, and, with his robotic arm, yanked the drawer open with a screech and crack, mechanical strength allowing him to wrench the locked drawer out of the desk. He reached in and produced his lightsaber.

“OK. Now I can go help.”

“Anakin, no,” Satine pleaded with her son, but he limped quickly toward the doorway on blistered bare feet.

“Tol’ket, get her to safety,” he called over his shoulder, then disappeared through the door.

Satine exchanged a look with Tol’ket and saw he looked as exacerbated and terrified as she felt. “Your entire family is brave to the point of foolish, Duchess,” he said after a beat. 

Despite herself, Satine let out a small chuckle. He was one to talk. “Come on, Protector, let’s see if we can help these fools.”

She made it two steps toward the door when the room was flooded by the Red Guard, one striking her without hesitation with their force pike. Her beskar offered no protection as the blow landed on her exposed side, and the pulse of energy ripped through her, dropping her to her hands and knees with a shuddering sob. 

She was vaguely aware of the sound of Tol’ket swearing, before he was standing over her, the sound of his beskad reverberating through the room. “You sons of bitches recovered way too fast,” he shouted, between powerful, brutal swings. “And I see you brought friends.” He grunted as a force pike bounced off his chestplate, but stayed on his feet, pulling his blaster out and shooting two of the guards while blocking another blow with his beskad.

Satine dragged herself to her feet, pulling her slugthrower from its holster, and began to take aim. Tol’ket saw her and shouted. “No! Don’t waste your ammo. Go, your grace!”

“Tol’ket, you can’t take them all, you lunatic,” she called back, taking aim. 

“I mean, Duchess. Go. Go find Bo.” A cry ripped from him as he took another shock from a pike, but again, he somehow managed to keep himself upright, and, lunging forward, ran his beskad through the guard who had struck him. Satine’s stomach turned at the sight of blood on the blade as he pulled it back.

“ _ Satine!”  _ he shouted. “Go! Go now and find Bo-Katan!” Another guard fell to his blaster, and he took a chance to look at her. “ _ Go!”  _

Satine ran.

* * *

Lily slipped out of an office where she had just coerced and physically dragged an Ithorian senator and their contingent of staffers for safety, and slumped against the wall as a Protector closed and locked the door. “This is exhausting,” Lily sighed dramatically.

Bo chuckled, taking a moment to catch her own breath in the sudden quiet that came after clearing another corridor of Senate guards. She took the brief moment of respite to check in with her other teams, ensuring they weren’t about to be swarmed by Republic troops.

“Ursa, what’s your status?” Ursa had been in charge of holding the perimeter outside, keeping GAR forces out until it was time to surrender.

When the comm crackled to life, Bo had to suddenly turn the volume down on her in-helmet receiver, the cacophony of blaster fire and yelling so loud it made her ears ring. “Status is-  _ haar’chak!  _ We’re firing stunners at you  _ besome!”  _ Ursa shouted. “Sorry, boss,” she came back. “Status is not great. The clones are here and pissed.” Bo swore under her breath but Ursa heard it. “No, no, don’t worry. We’re holding them off. There’s just a lot of them! Ow! Son of a bitch!”

“Ursa!” Bo shouted. “Are you alright?”

“ _ Osik!  _ Yes. The beskar got it, but it still smarts. Leave me alone, boss. I have work to do.”

The comm clicked off and Bo smirked to herself as she looked up and down the corridor they were in. A few commandos up ahead here pulling the limp, stunned bodies of Senate guards into an empty office, blasting the door controls to lock them in.

“Come on,” she called. "Let’s keep moving.”

Her little squad moved in a tight group together, Lily at her side, heads on swivels as they went. The next corridor was cleared, then the next, and Bo was considering sending Ursa reinforcements when Satine suddenly rounded a corner, running. She ran straight into Lily, scooping her up into an embrace, before grabbing Bo, and pulling her to her, as well. 

“Thank our ancestors, you’re both alright!” she sobbed out. 

Bo pulled away quickly, squirming under the affectionate display in front of her commandos. “Did you find Anakin?”

Satine, still clinging to Lily, nodded. “Tol’ket and I found him, but he ran off after Obi-Wan and the others.”

Bo gestured down the hall, in the direction Satine had come from. “Should we keep heading this way? Do you know where they are?”

Satine nodded again, finally letting go of Lily. “There was a lot of noise coming from the Senate chamber when I ran past. I think they’re in there.” 

Bo grabbed Satine by the elbow, marching off down the hall. “Well, let’s go see what we can do to help.”

Satine dug her heels in. “Are you insane?”

“It’s either this or going outside and facing down a garrison or two of Republic troops. I don’t like either option, but this one’s closer.”

Satine glared at her, knowing exactly where to look to lock eyes with her, even with Bo’s helmet masking her face. “Fine. Come on. There’s an observation deck around the corner.”

They moved swiftly, Satine falling into step with Bo, and were soon standing outside the door of the observation deck, opened to the massive Senate chamber. Inside, lightsabers could be heard clashing, and Bo could just make out the familiar humming whine of the Darksaber. At least she knew Obi-Wan was still up and alive. Shouts could be heard, too, voices indistinct. And crashing. So much crashing.

She gestured to the others to get low, and, with as much stealth as she could manage, she stalked through the doorway to the railing, peering over to the pods and floor a few levels below.

“Maker,” she breathed. 

Satine came up alongside her, looking over the edge herself. “Oh, Ben, what have you gotten us into?”

Bo shook her head in disbelief. Below them, Obi-Wan and the three older children, Anakin included, were all taking turns beating back blows from Palpatine- no, that’s not who he was. The  _ Sith Lord.  _ Meanwhile, the man, without losing a beat, was somehow tearing senate pods loose from their moorings, and magically hurling them around the chamber. She sucked in a sharp inhale as one was sent spinning toward Ahsoka, but the clever girl jumped on it, running with the spin before hopping off, crashing her dual blades down onto the Sith’s blade.

The battle raged, and Bo did not understand how the man could stand up against Obi-Wan and his children, but he did. She scanned the chamber, and tightened her jaw against her rising fear, taking in the bodies of Protectors. Others were still up, armed and fighting, but she was too far away to tell  _ who  _ they were.

She suddenly felt this may be a losing battle.

“We need to help them,” Lily whispered from her other side.

“There’s nothing we can do, Lily. He’s too strong,” Bo replied, shaking her head sadly.

“No. We can. You and Mum have slugthrowers, so do the Protectors with us. We can shoot him!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Lily,” Bo grumbled. “Best we can do is maybe distract him.”

“Then we should,” Satine said from her other side. Bo looked at her, and once again felt her sister’s penetrating glare. Satine didn’t wait for Bo. “Everyone, split up. Try to draw his attention away, give the Mand’alor and the others a chance at a clean blow.”

“Yes, your grace,” they replied instantly, and quickly began moving swiftly down the observation deck, some hopping lightly down to the pods below. 

Satine turned to Lily. “Stay with Bo,” she said simply, making to move off on her own.

Bo grabbed her wrist. “Where the hell are you going?”

“I’m spreading out, Bo-Katan,” Satine said, pulling herself loose from Bo's grasp. “Lily’s right. We both have slugthrowers. One of us might get a clear shot.” With that, she moved off across the observation deck. Bo stared at her back, then shook her head. 

“Come on, kid.” Bo slid over the railing, dropping to the pod below, Lily following right behind. They began skipping from one pod to another, looking for a good opening. 

They had only made it to the third pod when something huge and heavy pummeled Bo to the floor of the pod, knocking the wind from her. She was vaguely aware of Lily calling out and a teeth clattering crash, but all she really heard was static. All she saw was black. She gasped for air, then felt hands on her, her helmet being pulled away, Lily’s bare face appearing in her line of vision. Lily sobbed in relief. “Stars, auntie, I thought he’d gotten you!”

Bo struggled to sit up, taking her helmet from Lily to examine it. The beskar was fine, a little dented, but it was clear the audio and visual array was absolutely karked. “What the hell hit me?” 

“A pod,” Lily whispered, her eyes wide with shock. “I can’t believe you’re ok!”

Bo grimaced, pulling herself to her knees to glance over the side of the pod she’d been knocked into. She certainly didn’t feel ok. “Thank the Force for beskar, huh, little warrior?” she said, trying to keep her tone as light as possible. 

Lily made a noise of assent, before mimicking Bo, climbing to her knees to peer over the side. “ _ Manda’ner,”  _ she breathed.

Bo nodded in agreement. How were they ever going to win against this man, who could throw the huge senate pods with his mind, all while brutally, savagely beating down Obi-Wan and his tiny army of  _ jetiise? _

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan pulled the Light to him time and time again. He bolstered Korkie and Ahsoka through the Force. And he fought. He just kept fighting. Fighting Sidious. Fighting his own anger and fear. Fighting to hold to the loose tendrils of the Light Side. It seemed to shred in the presence of this man, but Obi-Wan refused to let it go. It takes strength to resist the Dark Side, and he felt that viscerally in this moment.

The fight had raged out of the office, across the antechamber, where they had tripped and stepped over stunned Red Guard, through the corridors of the massive building, and into the cavernous Senate chamber. Fenn Rau and Aled and the others Tol’ket had chosen for their prowess with their beskads fought valiantly alongside him and Korkie and Ahsoka, but it wasn’t fair for them. This was too much. It was too much for three Force users, it was a brutal, insurmountable task for Protectors.

“Rau, Aled, go on and help Bo-Katan!” he shouted in a brief moment of reprieve. 

“Not on your life, Mand’alor!” Rau had shouted back, taking what should have been a stellar cut at Sidious, only to have it blocked, his blade bound and brutally twisted off of the red lightsaber. It was everything the Protector could do to hold on to his blade. 

Obi-Wan started to protest, but he wasn’t allowed the chance, as he barely blocked a blow aimed for his neck, Sidious’ blade skipping and snapping along the Darksaber’s blade, bouncing off and screeching against his beskar shoulder bell. 

Korkie and Ahsoka’s green blades blazed and hummed through the air, the two working in smooth tandem, the way they did when allowed to sink side by side in the Force. Obi-Wan wanted to appreciate them, revel in their skill and mastery, but it was only the span of a heartbeat before his blow was blocked and then parried. 

Obi-Wan was exhausted.

But then, in his mind, a bright beacon burst around him.  _ Anakin.  _ Anakin! Anakin was found! Anakin was safe! Anakin was...beside him! He turned his head, and saw his poor boy, face and hands blistered and raw, but a smile on his lips, nonetheless.

“Hi, Dad,” Anakin said, then threw himself into the fray. 

It raged on. In a terrifying showcase of the Dark, Sidious began ripping senate pods loose, tossing them around like the flying discs the children used to play with in the gardens. One flew toward Obi-Wan, and the Darksaber wailed as it sliced it in half, falling in two pieces on either side of him. Another flew toward Aled and another Protector, both diving to escape its trajectory, but it crashed into them, both dropping like a stone.

“Aled!” Korkie shouted, making to move toward his Protector, but it earned a powerful blow to his thigh, only saving him from losing it by it glancing off a beskar greave that Ursa Wren had dug up for him. Korkie howled in pain, but refocused, accepting there was nothing he could do for Aled in that moment.

Another pod raced toward Ahsoka, who jumped on it, running along the spinning railing like she was running on the people movers in the busy spaceports. She flipped off, crashing her blades into Sidious’. Anakin was there, landing a wild but glancing blow to the man’s back. The man roared in fury, spinning on Anakin, but Korkie was beside Anakin in an instant, helping him block the raging man’s blade. Sidious roared again, and with a mighty call to the Dark, blew both the boys away, like they were nothing but ragdolls. He began tearing pods across the chamber again, one colliding with another several levels up. Obi-Wan made out a cry, though refused to let his attention stray to see who it was.

He launched himself at Sidious, swinging the Darksaber savagely down toward the man’s head. Only to have it blocked, just as hard. The man twisted away, flinging Obi-Wan to the side, like a piece of trash. Obi-Wan jammed the Darksaber into the floor, halting his tumble with a whistling cry from the blade, and attacked again.

This time Sidious didn’t even bother blocking the blow, he blasted Obi-Wan with a wall of energy, sending him flying through the air, hitting the railing of a senate pod with bone rattling force. He crumpled to the floor on his hands and knees, and, calling the Darksaber to his hand, fought his way to his feet, just in time to see Anakin roar, surging forward toward Sidious. 

Their blades locked, hard and fast, both men leaning into them with all their considerable power. The Force swirled around them like a maelstrom, Light and Dark warring, filling the giant chamber with wild energy that made Obi-Wan’s skin prickle and his hair stand on end.

“You’ve chosen poorly, Anakin,” Sidious growled. “You had the power to protect your family, your home, within your reach. And you chose to resist me! Now you and all you love will burn because of  _ you!”  _ He leaned into the blade hard, sneering his wicked, cruel sneer.

A sharp bang blasted through the chamber, and Sidious’ head shattered into pieces, brain matter flying everywhere. The Sith’s body stayed upright for a long moment, as if willed by evil to keep going, then crumpled, lightsaber falling uselessly to the floor.

“Lily!” 

A shout, from above, and Obi-Wan looked to see Satine scrambling from an observation deck, jumping gracefully from pod to pod. Obi-Wan turned and found Lily, a smoking slugthrower in her hands, face ashen, staring down at the body that had once housed Darth Sidious, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Bo-Katan was with her, her face as ashen as Lily’s, blood trickling from her forehead, an arm around Lily’s middle, holding her upright, as she gently pried the weapon from the girl’s hand.

Obi-Wan turned again, looking back at the body. At the chaos and destruction around them. Anakin had sat down on the floor, near Sidious’ body, head resting on his knees. Ahsoka and Korkie were with the fallen Protectors, checking their vitals. Fenn Rau kneeled on the floor, chest heaving from exertion.

Obi-Wan looked back up at Lily, who was now in Satine’s arms. “Is she ok?”

Bo gave Lily a long look, then nodded slowly. “I think she’s in shock.” Then she was muttering into her commlink on her gauntlet, calling Death Watch to surrender.

Lily finally dragged her eyes away from the body on the floor of the Senate chamber, the body she’d cut down with the deadly aim of a trained sniper, and looked at Obi-Wan. “I had to do something.”

* * *

  
  


Bo-Katan stood in the senate pod, watching as Satine sat heavily in a seat, dragging Lily into her lap. The girl didn’t resist, only curled against her mother, tucking her head under her mother’s chin. Satine reclined in the seat, pulling Lily with her, stroking her head and wild, messy braid. 

Bo felt she should do something. Go check on Korkie and Ahsoka and Anakin. Check on her Death Watch.  _ Something.  _ But she felt immobile. Terror was still thick and heavy in the air, like a sickly perfume, and it rooted her to the floor, staring at Satine and Lily. Any minute, she knew, they would all be arrested. What was the point of doing anything with that looming over them?

Then a thought dawned on Bo. “Where is Tol’ket?”

Satine went still, her hand halting half way down Lily’s braid. She stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up at Bo.

“Last time I saw him we were in the Chancellor’s office. He told me to come find you. He held off the Red Guard while I got away.”

If Satine said anything else, Bo didn’t hear it. She sprinted out of the pod and into the corridor beyond, flying past commandos and Protectors whose weapons lay at their feet, following the orders of their Mand’alor. She made her way up to the level of the Chancellor’s office, racing toward it, legs burning, chest aching, head ringing. Then, she skidded to a stop as she entered the antechamber. Carnage. The room was carnage, as bodies of the guards lay scattered about, all dead.

"I'm here, Bo. I'm here." 

Her eyes scanned the wreckage of the room before lighting on a familiar face, screwed up in pain, his dark skin a sickly grey. Tol'ket was propped up against a wall, his left hand clutched to his side, the other grasping a blaster tightly. His glove was stained with blood, and blood, far too much blood, pooled around him.

"No," she gasped, collapsing to her knees beside him. 

He gestured with the blaster to a nearby very dead guard. "Damn besom ran me through with my own kriffing beskad," he said, forced levity in his voice. 

She pried the blaster away from him, and he instantly reached for her face, cupping her cheek. His eyes landed for a moment on the cut to her forehead before looking at her with concern. "Bo, you're bleeding."

She huffed out a strangled little laugh. "You're one to talk, love."

His lips tilted up ever so gently into a ghost of his crooked smile, then his face went stormy with concern. "Is it done,  _ cyare _ ?"

She nodded, biting back a sob. "He's gone. Anakin is safe." 

He nodded, eyes closing. "Good."

"Tol'ket, don't you dare, you bastard. Stay with me," she growled at him, moving to gently pull his hand away from his side. Her stomach flipped at the sight- beskads were  _ not  _ something to mess with- and instantly pushed his hand back, covering it with her own, firm pressure.

"I'm still here, Bo. I'm still here." His eyes opened, locking on hers.

"You damn well better  _ stay  _ here," she said, choking on the sob she was struggling to contain. 

Running feet came up from behind, and she was vaguely aware that Obi-Wan was behind her. 

"Oh, not good," she heard him mutter before barking orders for a medic into his commlink.

He crouched down next to her and Tol'ket, laying a gentle hand on Bo's shoulder. "The Jedi are in the building. They'll be here any minute to arrest us."

She swiveled her eyes away from Tol'ket's face. "I am  _ not  _ leaving him." 

"I've called medics, Bo. That's all we can do. We can't go and resist now," he said quietly.

"He's right,  _ cyare _ ," Tol'ket whispered, brushing hair away from her eyes. "We have to stick to the plan."

"No, Tol'ket, no. I am not leaving you here. I'm not going!" she sobbed, losing the battle against her tears.

"Obi-Wan?"

They turned to see Master Mace Windu standing behind them, lightsaber in his hand but not ignited.

"Mace," Obi-Wan greeted quietly.

"You know I have to arrest you all," Windu said quietly, almost gently.

"Yes, we do." Obi-Wan turned back to Bo, grasping her elbow. "Bo, we have to go."

The fragile string holding Bo together, snapped. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and, with lightning reflexes, the hand not desperately trying to hold Tol'ket's blood in his body, flew out, grabbing Obi-Wan by the front of his chestplate. She ripped him forward, practically touching noses. "I am  _ not  _ leaving this man. I don't care that you're the karking Mand'alor. I don't care that they think we've just tried to start a war. I will not leave Tol'ket to bleed out on the floor."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, took a steadying breath. "I understand, Bo."

" _ Do you?"  _ She shoved him roughly away and moved herself closer to Tol'ket. She felt his free hand on her wrist, grasping it.

" _ Cyare _ …"

"Don't you start, too."

She watched Obi-Wan glanced up at Windu, exchanging some unspoken thoughts. The Jedi almost looked sympathetic. He sighed and turned away, muttering something into his own comm.

"Bo-Katan, look at me," Tol'ket growled, surprising her with the forcefulness in it. She obeyed, looking into his dark blue eyes. "I Iove you, Bo-Katan. Know that."

She sobbed. "I love you, Tol'ket."

He reached up, brushing his thumb across her cheek, drying her tears. "Listen to me, Bo, listen.  _ Mhi solus tome." _

Bo's breath stuttered in her lungs.

"Say it, cyare."

" _ Mhi solus tome,"  _ she whispered, resting her forehead to his. His free hand tangled in her hair, holding her to him.

_ "Mhi solus dar'tome,"  _ he went on, voice thready.

The weight of the phrase hit Bo like a punch in the gut. She felt like all the oxygen in her body had been forcefully blown out. " _ Mhi solus dar'tome,"  _ she sobbed out.

_ "Mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde,"  _ Tol'ket whispered. She felt his grip on her head slacken, but she could still see his eyes, staring into hers.

" _ Mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde,"  _ she repeated back to him.

He smiled.  _ "Jate, cyare. Jate. Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum."  _ He kissed her softly, then, his lips cold. His eyes slid shut and his hand fell away and she felt herself screaming as gentle hands pulled her away. 

Medics rushed in, filling the space she had just been, blocking Tol'ket from her view, and she wailed. Obi-Wan, his arms around her, both in a gesture of comfort and as a means to restrain her, whispered in her ear, but all she heard was blood pounding in her ears and her own sobs. She fought him, desperate to get back to Tol'ket. She couldn't see him, just the backs of medics in trooper armor and  _ jetiise  _ she had never seen before _.  _ Obi-Wan held her fast, pinning her arms to her side lest she hurt herself. 

She felt herself being dragged away, and the further they took her, the more she felt like she would shatter into a million tiny pieces. Her face was hot and wet with tears, her armor felt too tight, the warmth of Obi-Wan's strong arms around her burned.

Windu's voice filtered through her sobs, but she didn't make out what he said. Obi-Wan said something in reply. She felt the vibration of it more than heard it. 

Then, Mace Windu's face filled her vision. He gave her a concerned look, reached out his hand, and then, blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> The Riduurok- love bond/marriage agreement  
> "Mhi solus tome, Mhi solus dar'tome, Mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."  
> We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors.


	64. Eye of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clan Kryze attempts to weather the storm they created.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm.....hello there.
> 
> That last chapter was something, eh? 
> 
> Have another. 
> 
> CW: for profound displays of grief and struggling with loss. Very minor self harm (a wall is hit). 
> 
> I know the last chapter hurt, but it means so much to me to know that you are so attached to these characters I have created. Some of your comments were particularly amazing and really touching. You all are the best.

_ 19 BBY _

“I demand you let me in there to see them, Commander Fox!”

Anakin lifted his head at the sound of the familiar voice, raised and furious. He’d been mindlessly staring at the medical droid’s treatment of the blisters and burns across his flesh hand, feet, and face, but was instantly pulled from his vacant mindlessness at the sound of Padme’s voice.

“Senator, I can’t let you do that. You are considered a person of interest in all of this. It’s against protocol.” This time it was Commander Fox. Or any other of the clones on guard duty in the detention block where they were being held. He was fairly certain it was Fox, though. There was a clipped cadence to his speech pattern that sounded familiar.

“Padme, I can check on them, pass any messages along.” That was Bail. His father, who sat across from him next to Fenn Rau, had said that Bail had agreed to act as their defense counsel.

“No, Bail! I intended to lay eyes on  _ my  _ husband who was held against his will for  _ three  _ days.” Padme again. “He shouldn’t even be in there. None of them should be!” He was relieved she wasn’t directing that anger at him. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her quite so angry or….frightened. He exchanged looks with his father. A ghost of a smile passed across Obi-Wan’s face. He was clearly amused at Padme’s show of temper.

“Senator, I must insist-”

“No, Commander Fox.  _ I _ must insist. I am violently pregnant, already breaking doctor’s orders to be here, and I want to see my family. Send guards back if you’re so concerned we’ll conspire together. Call the karking Jedi. Just  _ let me see my husband.” _

There was a long, heavy pause. Then a disgruntled sigh. “Fine, fine. Five minutes with your husband.”

“Thank you, Commander Fox.” Padme’s customary kind, diplomatic tone returned to her voice, and Anakin could hear them getting closer. He shoved the medical droid away, and rose to his feet, grimacing and swearing as he did. He’d refused to acknowledge the pain in his feet and hand while in the midst of everything in the Senate building, but now, in the shattering quiet of their cell, adrenalin slowly leaking from his system, the burns on his feet sent his whole nervous system sparking in agony. 

He moved to the doorway, craning his neck to try and see down the corridor from the direction Padme would come. Then, like a beacon of light, she rounded the corner, Bail Organa and Commander Fox flanking her. 

“Padme!” he called to her, trying to fight the sob of relief at seeing her beautiful face. 

“Ani!” She jogged the few last steps, her belly swaying. Had she grown even bigger in the course of a week?

She stopped short in front of the ray shielded doorway, staring up at him, and then scowled. “You are a karking idiot, Anakin Skywalker.” 

He winced, as if she’d smacked him, but then sighed in resignation. He started to reply, but she stopped him. “I am  _ furious  _ with you and can't believe you would be so foolish, reckless, and thoughtless." She paused, taking a breath. "But I am so glad you’re ok.” She ran her eyes up and down him, pausing briefly on his battered feet. “At least, for the most part.”

He put a hand up, resting it against the ray shield, ignoring the sting of his blisters. She raised her hand, resting it on the other side of the shield, her other hand resting on her belly. “I  _ am  _ an idiot, angel, and I am sorry for worrying you so much.” He glanced down at her belly, then back to her eyes. “Are you alright?”

She nodded, smiling. “Just a touch of high blood pressure, but no one is all that surprised considering.” She rubbed her belly affectionately. “And your child is a proper Mandalorian and is using my internal organs as punching bags. I swear, sometimes she feels like she has extra limbs for all the gymnastics she does!”

He chuckled at that, ignoring the pull of the bacta patches on his face. “I wish I could be with you to help make you feel a bit better.”

She smiled again, this time sadly. “Bail and I are doing everything we can to get you out.” She glanced around Anakin to the others. “To get you  _ all  _ out of here. Is everyone alright?”

With that, Obi-Wan rose and approached, clearly having wanted to give them a bit of privacy, despite the close quarters of the cell and Padme’s two escorts. “The family is mostly physically alright, from what I gathered before we were separated. Bo-Katan took a pretty substantial hit in the Senate chamber, but was up and moving around just fine.” He paused, his face going dark and stormy with sadness. “We still haven’t heard anything about our wounded or casualties. Bail, any word?”

The tall, dark man shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Obi-Wan. When I arrived at the Senate, Master Yoda and Master Windu had decided to take your wounded to the temple, to their healers. They were afraid civilians would lash out at your people. They thought they’d be safer there.”

Obi-Wan nodded, his chin resting in his hand, clearly deep in thought, but his face unreadable. Anakin took it as a good sign that the Jedi were so concerned for the injured Mandalorians that they would shelter them in their own sacred Halls of Healing.

“Well, I am grateful for that kindness,” his father said, finally, after a long moment. “If you see either Master Yoda or Windu before I do, please pass my gratitude along.”

Bail tipped his head in a tiny bow. “Of course. And I will also continue to push for updates on the wounded and your casualties. Are there specific names you are interested in particularly?”

Obi-Wan's face darkened again before his brows pinched together in concern. “Obviously, I am concerned for all our wounded, but, yes. Captain Tol’ket, our head Protector. I am afraid the last I saw of him he was in a very grave state, though I saw medics and Jedi healers with him.” He glanced over his shoulder at Korkie, who was talking quietly with Greer. “There is also a young Protector lieutenant, Aled Carid. Both men are dear to our family, in particular, so even word on their condition, if nothing else, would go a long way.”

Bail nodded, pulling out a small datapad, making a note. “I have met both, though only in passing. Even so, I am not at all surprised to hear they are dear to you all. They seem like good men.” 

“Indeed, they are,” Obi-Wan concurred. “Now, what can you tell us, if anything, about the evidence Anakin gave?”

Bail and Padme exchanged a long look, then Bail looked over his shoulder at Commander Fox, before turning back to Anakin and his father. “The Senate has been called in, though, realistically, I don’t suspect we’ll have any real progress until at least sometime tomorrow. It is the middle of the night, after all.” 

Anakin growled in frustration and fought the urge to pace, his feet complaining enough just by standing at the door. “This is ridiculous. Everything I put in those files is easy enough to verify, save maybe the chips in the clones heads.” He flashed a look at Commander Fox, catching a slight stiffening of the trooper’s shoulders under his armor. 

Padme let out a long breath. “I know, Anakin. We both know. But you know how the Senate is. It moves slowly. It always has.”

“Padme is right, Anakin,” Bail said. “We need patience right now. Padme and I cannot take part in the hearings, for….obvious reasons, but we’ll do what we can in the background.”

Anakin started to reply, but Commander Fox interrupted. “You should wrap this up, Senator Amindala.”

Padme raised a dismissing hand, then placed it back on the shield that separated her from Anakin. How much he longed to hold her right now, he couldn’t help but think. Anakin placed his hand again hers, the soft tingle of the shield stinging against his blistered skin. “You all should get some rest,” Padme said. Anakin nodded. “Stay strong. We’ll get this sorted.” He nodded again, closing his eyes, trying to center himself.

“I will be back tomorrow in the morning to prepare for interviews that should start later in the day. They’ll want to start with the family and the higher ups in your forces,” Bail said, addressing Obi-Wan.

He nodded. “Of course.”

“Get some rest. All of you,” Bail repeated Padme’s sentiment. “I will follow up on these names, Obi-Wan, and also check on the conditions of your people in custody.”

“Thank you, Bail. We are forever in your debt.”

Bail bowed a bit, then stepped away, as did Obi-Wan, giving Anakin and Padme some semblance of privacy.

“I love you, Padme,” Anakin said softly. “And I am so very sorry.”

“I know you are, Ani, and I do love you, too. But next time, just  _ talk  _ to me, ok?”

He gave her a halfhearted crooked smile. “I promise I will. I never want to go through something like that again.”

She smiled, genuinely, unlike him. “If we do this right, we shouldn’t have to worry about it. Our daughter will be raised in a galaxy at peace.”

Anakin placed his robotic hand down low, as if to rest it against Padme’s swollen belly. “That’s all I want for her. I love you so much, angel. Please go rest.”

She nodded, her eyes having grown a little sad. “I promise I will if you do. You look exhausted.”

He certainly was, having slept very little during his time at Sidious’ mercy. “I will. I promise.”

She backed away, blowing him a kiss. He smiled. “Goodbye, my love.”

With that, she and Bail were hustled out briskly. He moved back to his bench, sitting down heavily, and let out a long, tired sigh before allowing the medical droid to proceed.

His father glanced up from whatever conversation he and Fenn Rau were having and gave him a long, careful look before speaking. “Rest, Anakin. That’s the best thing you can do for now. Fretting will do you no service.”

Anakin refrained from rolling his eyes like a petulant child, closed them instead, and hoped for sleep to claim him, and quickly. 

* * *

Consciousness pummeled Bo-Katan, assaulting every one of her senses with brutality and force. Her head screamed, her body ached, and arms tightened around her as she fought to get to her feet, driving her panic and pain even higher.

"Let her go, Satine! Let her go!"

The grasping arms released her, and Bo stood, swaying wildly, her eyes slowly focusing. Focusing on Ursa and Satine, Ahsoka and Lily. Her chest heaved as she fought to pull air into her lungs, the other four women staring at her, waiting to see what she would do.

Then it hit her.

"No.  _ No!" _

She collapsed to the hard floor, the sharp pain in her knees minor to the unrelenting pain in her heart. Sobs broke loose from her chest, shaking her, making her already aching skull burn. She curled in on herself, pressing her forehead to the cold floor, wrapping her hands around the back of her head, sheltering herself from the onslaught of her emotions.

She didn’t know how long she sat like that. She had no idea what time it was. She didn’t even know where she was. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Her heart was caving in, and her world as she knew it with it. But her sobs subsided slowly, and her eyes burned as her tears finally spent, and she became aware of warm hands on her back, rubbing soothing circles. Or she assumed, as some clarity slowly returned to her, they were meant to sooth. But nothing would soothe this pain.

“Bo.”

Bo shook her head against the floor. She didn’t want to return to the real world. She didn’t want to acknowledge it. To acknowledge it meant she would acknowledge the one truth she couldn’t.

_ He was gone. _

“Bo, come on now.”

She shook her head again. “I can’t,” she barely managed to whisper.

“Bo, you’re going to have to.” It was a different voice now. Ursa’s. A hand gently stroked the back of her head. She recoiled from the touch, pulling away roughly.

“Bo-Katan Kryze.” Satine’s voice again, harder this time. Commanding, like the ruler she was. “I know you hurt. I know you are broken, but I  _ need  _ you right now. Mandalore needs you.”

Bo finally sat up, resting on her knees, blinking rapidly against the harsh light, feeling every bone in her body sing of the brute trauma each had endured when she got hit in the Senate chamber. They were in a cell, small for the five of them. Satine sat in front of her. Ursa and Ahsoka sat to either side. Lily hovered, watching, looking like a ghost of herself. Bo forced herself to focus on Satine. “I  _ can’t,  _ Satine. I….he’s  _ gone.  _ I can’t.”

Satine exchanged glances with Ursa, then Ahsoka, as if hoping someone would give her the right words of comfort. But Bo knew there weren’t any. Nothing would ease the pain. No word would act as a soothing balm to her shattered soul. And she could tell Satine knew that. She could see in Satine’s eyes that she had already reversed the circumstances in her head. Played it out in a bit of morbid imagining, forcing herself to empathize and understand. Satine had imagined what it would be like to lose Obi-Wan, and she  _ knew  _ there were no words.

Satine sighed. “That may be true, Bo, but Mandalore is  _ not  _ gone, and Tol’ket would not want you to forsake  _ Manda’yaim  _ simply because he is marching on. We  _ must  _ be strong now. He was strong for Mandalore, Bo. He would expect you to be, as well.”

With a growl of frustration and anger, Bo leapt to her feet, surprising even herself at her agility. Then immediately regretted the move as her head pounded, a hip she didn’t realize she’d injured complaining mightly. She ignored it, as best she could, and stood in the center of the cell, unsure what to do. “Bo…” Satine started again, reaching for Bo. But Bo backed away, nearly stumbling over backwards.

“Kriffing hell, Satine!” she shouted. “What the hell do you know of what he would want? Do you think he  _ wanted  _ to leave me? Wanted to fucking die?” She backed away more, trying to back out of the reality she found herself in. Her back hit the durasteel wall of the cell, and she leaned heavily against it.

“Stars, no, Bo. He loved you. He loved you so much, and had, for quite some time.” Satine moved to step toward Bo again, but Ursa stopped her with a hand on her elbow. She relented, and went still, but kept looking at Bo. Bo looked up, away from her, her gaze too heavy to deal with. “But Bo, he knew as well as I do how important Mandalore is to you-”

“No!” Bo turned, slamming her fist into the wall. Once, twice, three times. Then the sobs came again. She slipped to the floor, curling against the wall. “No. We were supposed to keep Mandalore safe together.” She choked on a sob. “I thought that was the deal. We did all those things  _ together.  _ He was supposed to stay. We were going to fight alongside each other. He was supposed to stay….” She trailed off, her throat sore and raw from crying. She drew her knees up, hugging them tight to her chest, and her head fell forward, resting on her knees. Silent tremors and sobs shook her over and over. 

She was vaguely aware of a half whispered conversation, but ignored it, sinking into her grief, letting it settle around her like a heavy cloak. She heard shuffling feet and was aware of bodies settling into cots, but she stayed where she was, unwilling, unable to move.

Time passed. She wasn’t sure how much, but she became aware of a presence standing over her. “Bo-Katan, if nothing else, I need you to drink some water.” It was Ursa.

Bo sighed, but didn’t move. “Bo, I have seen you through some of the very worst moments of your life. Do not deny me the honor of taking care of you in this one.” It was said in a quiet tone, as if the others were sleeping, a note of teasing in Ursa’s voice, gentling the harsh grief that weighed it down.

Bo gave in, and looked up slowly to see Ursa kneeling beside her, a bottle of water in her hand. “Are you going to cooperate?”

Bo nodded, and held out her hand for the bottle. Ursa uncapped it and handed it over. Ursa glanced over her shoulder toward Satine while Bo drank, and Bo’s eyes followed her gaze. Satine slept on a cot, and arm slung protectively over Lily, who appeared to have crawled under the thin blanket with Satine. 

Ursa turned back to Bo and sighed. “I like your sister, and I know she didn't mean to be so callous. I know she's grieving, too. But fuck her right now. Tol’ket would not minimize your grief in the name of Mandalore. No, don’t you dare start crying again right now. I haven’t gotten you hydrated enough for that.” 

Bo let out a sad attempt at a chuckle as she sat the half empty bottle next to her. “But, Bo, she is  _ right  _ about some of what she said.” Bo shot her a withering look. “I know. I don’t like saying it either, but you have to pull it together, at least a little, ok? They’re going to insist on interrogating you. You lead karking Death Watch.”

Bo nodded. “I know, Ursa. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare fucking apologize to me for your grief in losing that man.” Ursa’s eyes suddenly glistened and she growled in frustration, swiping at her face. “It is a  _ tragedy.  _ For all of us, but most of all you. You deserved him. The universe  _ owed you.”  _ She sniffed, angrily wiping at her face again, then, framing Bo’s face with her hands, she kissed her forehead, and rested hers to Bo’s. “I am sorry. I am so sorry.” 

“Thank you, Ursa,” Bo whispered, wrapping a hand around one of Ursa’s wrists. They sat like that for a long moment, and then Ursa stood, pulling herself back together. 

“I would prefer to see you rest in a semi-proper bed. Come on,” Ursa said as she stood back up, holding out a hand. Bo looked up at her, began to reach for her outstretched hand, then stopped. Something looked  _ odd. _

She pulled her hand back and appraised Ursa more carefully. Whatever detention center issued jumpsuits they all wore did little to hide the shape of Ursa’s body. She was strong and fit like Bo. Curvier, perhaps, not cursed with the long limbed willowiness of the Kryze women, but still lean. Bo thought back to the  _ Cornet,  _ avoiding certain memories, settling on Ursa. She’d been wearing a new kama, practically an armored skirt. She’d liked the look. It had suited Ursa. But, now, Bo understood.

The kama had been to hide the small but noticeable swell of Ursa’s belly.

She gestured wildly at Ursa’s stomach. “What the hell is  _ that?”  _ She didn’t even try to hide her shock by whispering. The other three stirred at her raised voice, and Ursa shushed her.

“What do you think  _ that  _ is, you  _ di’kut?”  _ Ursa angrily whispered back. One hand fell to the gentle swell, her other she held out to Bo again. This time Bo took it, allowing Ursa to help her to her feet. 

“When were you planning on telling me, you bitch,” Bo growled, keeping her voice low. “Stars! You’re showing, Ursa! This is not a new thing.” She racked her brain for memories of Ursa’s pregnancy with Sabine. “You started showing with Sabine at four months!”

Ursa nodded, confirming Bo’s guess. “I didn’t mean to not tell you, but, well, we’ve been busy the last couple of months. I thought you’d notice considering how often I’ve been snapping poor Greer’s head off and the fact that I kept changing the duty roster so I wouldn’t have to coach hand to hand training, well, and then  _ this  _ happened.” She waved her hand around in the air, indicating the general mess they were in. “Would you have let me help if you’d known?”

“No!”

“That’s what I thought.” She smiled at Bo. “Anyway, you’re going to be an auntie again.”

Bo gestured toward Ursa’s belly, asking for permission to touch. Ursa rolled her eyes. “Kriffing hell, of course you can.” Bo laid a gentle hand against her friend’s belly. She knew from her limited experience with Ursa’s first pregnancy that she was unlikely to feel anything this early, but the action grounded her some, comforted her in a way that words had not been able to. A new life, a new baby to love and protect and spoil and comfort.

She’d never get her chance to raise her own warriors with the man she loved, but she could still help raise this one, along with their sister. Along with brave, reckless Lily. It wouldn’t be the same, but the thought eased the vise grip on her heart some. 

“Go lay down, Bo-Katan, and try to sleep,” Ursa said gently. Bo nodded, and laid down, shutting her eyes, and prayed she’d dream of babies or nothing. Not of his hand in her hair and his voice in her ear, telling her he’d hold her in his heart forever.

* * *

Obi-Wan sat at the table next to Bail Organa, working his way through a bitter cup of caf. He had had clone trooper made caf in the past, but this batch seemed particularly dreadful, and the measly amount of milk and sugar he’d been able to beg along with the caf itself did little to make it tolerable. But, his head ached from stress, the uncomfortable cot he had tossed and turned on for a few hours overnight, and, most likely, from getting beat around by a Sith Lord. He hoped the caf would at least lessen the dull ache behind his eyes to a degree.

“This should be just a cursory interview, Obi-Wan,” Bail said, flipping through screen after screen on his datapad. “There is still a lot of information they are going through, both from Anakin’s evidence, and the events of last night. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Obi-Wan smiled wanly, nodding his head. “The change of scenery is welcomed, at least. I must admit, sharing close quarters with four other men is vastly different than sharing a bed with a beautiful wife. I’m sure you understand.”

Bail chuckled. “Indeed I do.”

It was then that the door of the interrogation room slid open and three humans filed in, including Mace Windu. He was joined by a severe looking man in a lethally creased and starched GAR uniform, and the senator from Chandrila, Mon Mothma. Obi-Wan went to stand in greeting, only to be immediately reminded that he was bound to his chair with restraints, like a violent criminal.

Well, he  _ had  _ led an invading army into the Senate building just the night before, and his own daughter had killed the Supreme Chancellor. He supposed he was a violent criminal in the eyes of the Republic.

“Good morning, Mand’alor Kenobi, Senator Organa,” Windu said in greeting, settling in the seat directly across from Obi-Wan. “I know you are both acquainted with Senator Mothma, who will be part of the investigative committee looking into the events of last night as well as the supposed evidence against the deceased Supreme Chancellor..” Mothma tipped her head in greeting, but stayed quiet. Obi-Wan didn’t know the young senator terribly well, but he did know she was a woman of few words, and her words were impactful when spoken.

Windu gestured to the severe looking man to his left. “Mand’alor, this is Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin. He will be representing the military on the committee.” The man said nothing, did nothing, just exchanged looks with Obi-Wan briefly, before staring straight ahead, hand folded neatly on the table in front of him. Ahsoka had mentioned this man in the few times she had talked about her trial for the Temple bombing. He now understood why she had taken such a dislike for the man. Obi-Wan did not like him, either.

“I myself will be representing the Jedi on the committee,” Windu went on to say. 

Obi-Wan raised a finger. “May I ask a question?”

Windu tipped his head for him to proceed.

“I understand the need for Senatorial oversight in this, and I can see the need for the Jedi, considering our allegations against the Chancellor. But I don’t understand the need for military oversight. As far as I am aware, no one in the Republic’s forces was killed last night, save the Chancellor’s personal guard. So, excuse me, Admiral Tarkin, but  _ why  _ are you here?”

The man cocked an eyebrow at him, as if offended by Obi-Wan’s insolence. “I am here,  _ Mand’alor  _ Kenobi, because you led an army of violent insurgents into the heart of our Senate building, held our forces at bay, and  _ killed  _ the leader of the Republic.” The man paused, looking down the table at his colleagues. “Frankly, I feel my presence here is of the utmost importance, so we may best learn from our mistakes in letting an invading force make it so far into the heart of our Republic’s capital.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to retort, but Bail laid a hand on his arm to quiet him. He snapped his mouth shut and scowled. 

“May I suggest we move on with your questions,” Bail suggested. “I do know we have a busy itinerary over the next few days.”

Master Windu nodded. “Yes, indeed. Let’s proceed.”

Time passed slowly as Obi-Wan was pressed for more and more details on the insurrection that Tarkin seemed convinced had been planned. Obi-Wan answered patiently, stating again and again that their main objective had been to rescue their son.

It was tedious, but mostly harmless until one question finally came up.

“Who actually killed Chancellor Palpatine?” Tarkin asked, making notes on his datapad.

Obi-Wan swallowed the lump suddenly in his throat, then stated the truth. “It was my daughter, Lily.”

Windu’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “The little one?”

“She’s not quite so little now, but yes.”

The other two looked at Windu, waiting for enlightenment. “He’s telling the truth,” Windu said, his typical mask of indifference slowly filtering back, masking his shock. 

“Obi-Wan, you mean to tell me your youngest child shot and killed the Chancellor?” Mon Mothma asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’m afraid so, yes.”

“She’s a  _ child,”  _ Mothma said, incredulous. “What was she even doing there?”

Obi-Wan collapsed back into the uncomfortable chair, scrubbing his hands across his face. “She wasn’t supposed to be there. She stowed away, and, well, long story short, she stole her aunt’s weapon and shot the Chancellor.”

“When you say a child,” Tarkin started to ask.

“She’s thirteen, Admiral,” Obi-Wan barked in aggravation. “Please understand, all of you, this isn’t a burden I wanted placed on so young a set of shoulders. Frankly, None of my children should have had to do what they did last night, but we did what we must, and-”

Bail stopped him again, a hand on his arm, a subtle shake of his head. Obi-Wan sighed, and fell silent. He was tired of sitting here. He missed Satine. Missed her calm coolness in situations like this. He just wanted them to comprehend what they had done for the Republic. For the galaxy.

Master Windu seemed to sense his agitation, giving him a look he remembered from his padawan days. A look that told him to be still. To be calm. He followed the unspoken advice, letting his aggravation and annoyance slip through him and into the Force. 

“I think that should be about it for today, Kenobi,” Windu said, fussing with his datapad. “I appreciate your cooperation. I am sure you can understand the enormity of the task we have ahead of us.”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. “Of course Master Windu.”

Tarkin and Mothma rose from the table, moving toward the door. Tarkin glanced at Windu, a questioning look on his stoney face. “I’ll be along in a moment, Admiral,” Windu said, waving a dismissive hand at the man. Tarkin scowled, then walked out the door, letting it slide shut behind him. 

“Tarkin is a karking battle ax, I'm afraid. Here, Obi-Wan, Senator Organa mentioned you had questions about your people.” Windu slid his datapad across the table to Obi-Wan. “I’m afraid it is not up to date. It is only the status of everyone taken to the Halls of Healing as of last night,” he went on to say as Obi-Wan picked up the device and began scrolling through the names.

The number of names was a gut punch, particularly the number of dead. The Republic forces may have come out unscathed, but the same could not be said for Mandalore.

_ Carid, Aled- stable _

He sighed with relief. The young man had seemed particularly lifeless when he had last seen him.

He scanned further, noting with sadness the names of dead Protectors, and recognizing names of some of the many dead Death Watch. Then, finally, he came to the name he most wanted to see.

_ Tol’ket, Edean- critical _

He looked up at Master Windu. “Tol’ket is  _ alive?”  _

“The man with Bo-Katan?” Obi-Wan nodded. Windu shook his head. “Like I said, this is from last night. I haven’t received any updated information. I do know he made it to the Temple and into surgery last night. After that….” He shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan. Clearly the man is important to you and your family.”

“Mace, I don’t think you understand. That man is Bo-Katan’s husband.”

Windu gave him a puzzled look. “There’s nothing on either of their chain codes about having a spouse.”

“That’s because they just said their vows last night. You were a witness to them. If he survived…” He trailed off, reliving the grief of Bo-Katan as the man had faded away from her. Obi-Wan hadn’t felt him completely slip away into the Force in that moment last night, but Bo’s utter and complete devastation had washed out everything else around them until Windu had gently pressed her into a deep sleep. 

Windu’s face changed, softened around it’s normally hard edges. “Oh.” He straightened, resolve crossing his face, hardening the edges back up. “I will look into his condition, then. But, Obi-Wan, I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. You and I both saw the state of that man.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He would relive the nightmare of finding his closest friend sitting in a pool of his own blood for years to come, no matter if he survived or not. 

Windu sighed, standing. “I will do what I can. Now, I’m afraid I have to move along with our day.”

“Of course. Thank you, Mace,” Obi-Wan said, trying to stand again, forgetting his bound state once again.

“Of course, Obi-Wan. May the Force be with you.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “May the Force be with us all.” 

* * *

  
  


Bo’s exhaustion had settled into her bones. She had slept little since that horrible night, finding her dreams too painful, and had chosen instead to sit up with Lily, who had her own nightmares to contend with. The rest of her time had been spent pacing, too afraid to sit still for too long, lest her grief swallow her whole.

Now, late into the second day, she sat in an interrogation room next to Bail Organa, drinking horrible caf, forcibly willing herself to focus, and answering the questions asked of her. The familiar face and measured cadence of Mace Windu was almost comforting, though she wondered, knowing now how easily he had been able to delve into her mind and force her to sleep in her blackest moment, if maybe he wasn’t actually manipulating her somehow. She didn’t care. 

The other two were less comforting. The Chandrilian senator reminded Bo of Satine, a bit, but quieter and far less….Mandalorian. But the severe looking admiral made her skin crawl, and she wanted to punch his prissy, sharp, smug face. With the state of her mind, she figured he was lucky she was restrained in the uncomfortable chair. 

Bo answered their questions, numb and monotone, staring down at the table. It was tedious, draining, and she answered by rote. Until Admiral Tarkin touched a nerve.

“Tell me about the Protectors. How do they relate to Death Watch?”

She looked up from the table. She shook her head. “They’re separate entities.”

“But you were in command of a large percentage of them during the insurgence, were you not?”

She held her tongue on reminding him that they weren’t insurgents. “Protectors were selected to go with the family to confront Palpatine. The rest joined various squads. It’s not wholly unusual for the two groups to work together in some capacity, particularly if the family’s safety is involved.” She paused, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t see what this has to do with anything.”

“I was under the impression that you and the head Protector, a-” he glanced down at his datapad, “Captain Tol’ket? Yes. I was under the impression you two worked together frequently.”

Bo clenched her fists on the table, seeking the bite of her nails into her palms to pull her back from the wave of grief threatening to overtake her. “We did, yes. But if you have questions for the Protectors and their role in this, I suggest Commander Rau, seeing as Captain Tol’ket is dead. Rau will know far more regarding their operations.”

Admiral Tarkin gave her a strange look, then flicked through his datapad again. “Yes, Commander Rau is on our list, most likely tomorrow. I just assumed you’d have more information regarding  _ this  _ operation, that you could fill us in on until Captain Tol’ket is able to answer our questions.”

“Admiral, the man is  _ dead,”  _ Bo replied. She wanted out of this room. Was the man trying to drive her insane, with his cavalier disregard for the facts?

Another look at his datapad. “No, no, it says here, Lady Kryze, that he is in critical condition as of this morning.”

“I….I don’t believe you.” Bo’s vision swam, and she blinked once, long and slow. When she opened them again, Master Windu was watching her carefully. “Your information is incorrect, Admiral. Captain Tol’ket died in my arms. I was with him. He’s  _ dead.”  _ Bo felt the hard prick of tears against her eyes as her chest tightened. Why was she being forced to relive this?

“Ah, hell,” Windu growled. “Admiral Tarkin, Senator Mothma, let’s call it a day for Lady Kryze. I think we have what we need.”

Bo stared down at her hands, watching them clench and unclench, focusing on the way the tendons worked across the back of her hands and up into her fingers. Focusing on anything else than the ever present nightmare as chairs were pushed back and muttered farewells were said.

“Bo-Katan, are you alright?” It was Bail’s voice. She looked up and found he and Master Windu studying her closely.

“I have certainly had better days.”

Windu sighed, leaning back in his seat. “I am sorry about that, Lady Kryze. I had planned on informing you of your husband’s condition after the meeting. I had no idea that ass would have any reason to bring him up.”

“It’s true?”

“Captain Tol’ket is alive, though he is in rough shape, if I am to understand the healers correctly.”

Bo gasped out a sob. “I….I don’t….why? I have spent the last two days thinking the man I love died in my arms. If he is alive, why was I not told?”

Windu shifted uncomfortably. “I thought it would be easier for you to think he died the other night, instead of telling you he had survived, only to have him still die.”

Bo stared at him for a long, long moment. He held her gaze, impassive and still. It infuriated her. “I still don’t believe you.”

“I do not lie, Lady Kryze.” He seemed to consider something, then sighed again. “Master Che suggested this, and I wasn’t going to do it, but….Lady Kryze, let’s go for a ride.” He stood, gathering his datapad and files.

“ _ What?”  _ Bo barked it out at the same time as Bail.

“She’ll be fine, Senator. Clearly this woman is someone who needs to see to believe.”

Bail studied the Jedi for a moment, then seemed to understand. “Alright. She’ll be under your protection.”

“Of course.”

“Do I not get a say in this? What if I don’t want to go with you?” Bo asked, incredulous.

“I think you will,” Windu said, then called in the troopers. “Now, let’s go for a ride.”

* * *

  
  


If Bo had been in a different state of mind, she would have been intrigued by the monstrous, ancient building that housed the Jedi Temple. Curious to learn of its history. Eager to see the Archives Obi-Wan sometimes spoke of. But this day, she let Windu lead her, flanked by troopers, through the grand hall and into the Halls of Healing without even a glance around. She kept her eyes straight ahead, ignoring the curious looks flashed at her. She was sure she was a sight, bound as she was, her eyes swollen from constant tears, the deep gash to her forehead slowly healing, a prison jumpsuit and soft, canvas shoes her uniform.

They were greeted within moments of entering the halls by a tall, blue Twi’lek woman.

“Is this her?” she asked bluntly, giving Bo a hard, appraising look. “She  _ is _ in a state, isn’t she?”

“Yes, Che, this is Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. Lady Kryze, this is our head healer, Master Vokara Che,” Windu said by way of greeting. 

“Take her binders off, this is ridiculous,” Che said, gesturing toward the troopers. “And then you two may wait outside. I don’t need you in here, stressing everyone out.”

“Che…”

“Don’t argue with me, Mace. Take her binders off.”

Bo caught the barest head shake of frustration, then the man waved a hand over Bo’s binders, and they fell away. He caught them, handing them to a trooper, gesturing for them to step back outside.

“Come on, then, Bo-Katan,” the Twi’lek woman said, striding off down the nearest hall. Bo trotted to catch up, rubbing her wrists to return some normal circulation to them. She was led into a large, dimly lit room, with several bacta tanks in use, Jedi healers milling about, making notes on datapads or checking vitals on monitors.

Master Che led her to one occupied tank and stopped. Bo looked up at the body floating in the healing liquid and gasped. “Tol’ket!”

“I told you, Bo-Katan,” Master Windu said quietly from behind. “I do not lie.”

She ignored him, only staring up at the face of the man she loved. The man she thought she lost. Tears fell, flowing down her cheeks. His eyes were closed, and most of his handsome face was obscured by a life support mask, but it was him. A large incision, neatly sutured closed, marred his dark skin under the ribs of his left side. He looked small, frail, still. How a man full of so much life and energy and strength could look like that, she cared not to think about. He was alive. The pulsometer beeping rhythmically on the tank’s monitoring system said as much.

She gestured toward the tank, wordlessly asking if she could get closer. Che tipped her head in assent. “Go ahead. Talk to him. Let him know you’re here.”

Bo stepped up to the tank, placing her hand against the transparasteel, feeling the warmth of the bacta against her palm. She looked up again, looked at the man she loved.

“ _ Su cuy’gar, cyare,”  _ she whispered to him. “ _ Gar su olar.” _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter made YOU cry? Well, writing this one made me WEEP. Many, many times. I got misty eyed editing.
> 
> I know, I know, I know Satine came off very callous in this chapter, and I really don't like writing her that way. But grief can take us to strange places, and Tol'ket was important to her, too. She tried to play to Bo's typical driving force- Mandalore. And, for once, Bo did not give one kriffing flip about Mandalore. 
> 
> Mando'a Lesson for the Day:  
> Su cuy'gar: Hello, but, quite literally means "you are still alive."  
> Gar su olar: You are still here.  
> So, what Bo says at the end is, "You are still alive, beloved. You are still here."


	65. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family wades through the aftermath of their storm on Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, my lovely space pirates. This took far too long and is still quite not what I imagined. My body felt the need to torture me for a few days. 
> 
> This is really just a few moments over a week or so, starting exactly where we stopped in the last chapter, pieced together, hopefully to build to more serious moments in the next chapter or two. And, yes, there chapter count has been raised....I meant to raise it last time, but forgot!

_ 19 BBY _

“Your husband is a fighter,” Master Che said quietly from behind Bo.

Bo tipped her head forward, resting her forehead against the warm transparisteel. “That he is,” she replied quietly.

“He lost a substantial amount of blood, but I think you’re well aware of that,” Che went on, stepping closer, checking the tank’s display absently. “He was rushed into surgery where we had to resect both large and small intestines.” Bo only half listened as her brain still reoriented to yet another reality. _Tol’ket was_ _alive._

“He’s had several blood transfusions, and we are aggressively treating peritonitis with antibiotics and fluids,” Master Che continued, standing beside Bo. “He had us worried, but he finally stabilized late last night. You being here, well, that should only improve his outlook.”

Bo hummed a little in response, just to show she was paying attention. “When can he come out of the bacta?” she finally asked, rolling her head against the tank to glance at the Jedi.

Master Che looked up at Tol’ket. “A few more days, most likely, as long as he continues to improve.” 

“Oh,” Bo said softly, saddened that it would be so long before she could physically touch him. Knowing it was for the best. 

Master Che laid a hand on Bo’s shoulder. Bo surprised herself when she didn’t jerk away, but actually felt some tension ease out of her shoulders. “I know you want to comfort him, but your presence is enough. He can sense it through the Force.”

Bo laughed humorlessly. “We’re not  _ jetiise,  _ Master Che.”

“That doesn’t mean the Force doesn’t move through you. Both of you. He knows. Have some trust, Mandalorian.”

Mace Windu cleared his throat from behind them, causing Bo to startle. She’d forgotten he was even there. “I’ll give you some time, Lady Bo-Katan, then we’ll need to head back.”

Bo felt as if all the strength in her vanished, and tears stung sharply behind her eyelids. Master Che steadied her with a hand on her elbow.

“I think not,” Master Che said with a cool conviction. “She clearly needs medical attention.” She pulled out a med scanner from a deep pocket in her robes and quickly scanned Bo. “Head trauma, fractured ribs, soft tissue damage in your left hip.” She whipped around on Windu. “Did she not get  _ any _ medical care?”

Bo turned back to the bacta tank, leaning her head back against it. “I was told I had a bacta infusion while I was sleeping off whatever he did to me.” She gestured back at Windu. Che sighed in aggravation.

“GAR medicine at its finest,” the healer grumbled. “She’s staying.” Windu went to protest, but Master Che put up a silencing hand. “What’s one more Mandalorian in this place.” She turned to Bo. “You could probably use a dip, too,” she said, gesturing at a tank. 

Bo shook her head, still resting against the soothing warmth of the tank. “Rather not.”

She felt Master Che’s eyes on her, but didn’t turn to acknowledge the woman. Instead, the healer laid a comforting hand on her shoulder once more, then stepped away. “Come on, Mace. I’ll give you some updated information to take back to Kenobi and the Duchess.”

Bo heard them retreat, catching a brief protest from Mace, shot down again by Che, and then she realized she was alone.

Bo sighed. Slipping to the floor, she leaned her shoulder against the base of the bacta tank. She looked back up at Tol’ket. “Stay here with me, Tol’ket.” She rested her temple against the transparisteel, and closed her eyes, feeling for the first time in two days that she might be able to sleep. “Just stay.”

* * *

  
  


Four days had passed since Clan Kryze had led their little invasion into the Senate, and Satine had sat through as many interrogations.

It had been two days since she’d become distraught when Bo had not reappeared after her interrogation. It had taken some time and some shouting, but Master Windu had finally appeared and informed them that he had taken her to the Jedi Temple, where she was receiving medical attention from her run in with the senate pod. And, he had added, with almost the faintest of smiles that Tol’ket was alive. Unconscious, but alive.

That had been a very bright, happy spot in an endless march of dismal days.

Now, she sat again, for the fifth time in four days, across from Windu, Mon Mothma, and the insufferable Admiral Tarkin. Between her and Bail Organa sat Lily, clinging tightly to Satine’s hand. It had only been after Satine had raised an absolute riot that she had been granted the right to accompany her daughter to her interrogation. She had been dumbstruck at the thought they would interview the child without a parent, but her gut told her it was Tarkin’s idea. From what she knew about Ahsoka’s own trial, he really had little compassion for anyone, minor or otherwise. 

“I think it is quite ridiculous that you insist upon interviewing a child that had  _ nothing  _ to do with the decisions the adults in her life made,” Satine said, as the three committee members settled in their seats across from her, Lily, and Bail.

Tarkin cocked an eyebrow at her as he tidied his stack of files and datapad. “Duchess Kryze, your own husband, both of your sons, your sister, even yourself have all said it was your daughter who shot and killed the Supreme Chancellor. It only seems right that we hear her side of things, yes?”

Satine scowled back at the smug, stone faced man, all diplomacy and statecraft long dissolved with her lack of sleep and lack of a proper bath. “Go ahead, then. Though I’m unsure what new information you will gain.”

“Alright,” Master Windu said with a sigh of resignation. “Now that we have that out of the way.” He leveled a serious but kind eye on Lily. “Lily, this is Admiral Tarkin and Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila. They are my colleagues who are helping me investigate what happened with your people here on Coruscant. Do you understand?”

Lily returned her own serious gaze back on the Jedi. “Master Windu, you of all people should understand what we were trying to do.” Satine closed her eyes for a long beat. Lily had been quiet the last few days, understandably so, but Satine could do without the girl’s blunt nature in this moment.

Windu was unfazed. “Perhaps, young one, that is why I volunteered to sit on this committee. Perhaps it is because I understand your family and your people’s unusual dynamics that compels me to ensure you receive a fair chance at making your case.” He quirked a questioning brow at her, challenging her in a way that felt familiar to Satine. In the same way Obi-Wan often challenged the children, even herself, into looking deeper into a perceived situation.

Lily narrowed her eyes, clearly feeling the same familiarity. She appraised the man carefully, then nodded once, sharp and crisp. “Alright. Let’s get on with it then.”

Satine shook her head as Bail stifled a laugh. Windu nodded in approval. “Let’s.”

Lily continued to hold Satine’s hand while she walked the Jedi, the Admiral, and the Senator through her series of misadventures that led her to shooting the Chancellor. Much of it Satine knew, though the girl was far more forthcoming with the details on just  _ how  _ she escaped the watchful eye of Kayla, her assistant, a woman well versed in the nonsense Lily was capable of, and made it to the Sundari docks in time to slip past the guards and on to the shuttle. Windu and Mon both exchanged amused glances as Lily went into the minutiae of fooling Kayla, escaping through her own window, throwing off one of the few Protectors left in the Palace with a bit of Force persuasion, and stealing one of her brothers’ speeder bikes. Tarkin was unamused. Bail, having known the child since she laid siege to a party as a five year old, struggled not to laugh. Satine wanted a stiff, stiff drink or three.

She led them all through the adventures of leaving the  _ Coronet,  _ including using a jetpack through Coruscant with her aunt, and storming the Senate building. 

“Lily, were you armed?” Mon Mothma asked, her voice quiet, calm, and measured. 

Lily shrugged. “I had my lightsaber, which I did use to deflect blaster bolts away from us. And I was helping Protectors lead people to safety, and some seemed to take some comfort in seeing it.” The girl shrugged again. “I guess they thought I was a Jedi. I had a blaster, but Auntie Bo said not to use it unless absolutely necessary. I didn’t even unholster it. The charges should still be full.”

“But the Chancellor wasn’t shot with a common blaster, was he?” Tarkin sneered. “He was shot with one of your primitive Mandalorian projectile pistols. A  _ slugthrower.”  _ He scoffed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. Satine felt the urge to punch the smug, skinny little bastard. Her lack of sleep  _ was  _ getting to her. “How did you acquire such a weapon, if you say you were only armed with your blaster and your lightsaber?” He held up a hand, commanding Lily to wait, and turned to Master Windu. “I must say, Master Jedi, it seems awfully reckless to let common citizens roam around with lightsabers, masquerading as Jedi.”

Before Windu could respond, Lily rolled her eyes. “And it seems _awfully_ reckless to let a Sith Lord who uses a lightsaber and can throw huge senate pods around with his kriffing _mind_ to hold the seat of Supreme Chancellor for over ten years, but, what do I know? I’m just a kid.” For the first time since they’d left their cell, Lily let go of Satine’s hand, crossed her arms, and leaned back into her seat, glaring at Tarkin, daring him to challenge her. 

Master Windu, seated directly across from Lily, cocked an eyebrow at her, but his face was softer than Satine expected after such a disrespectful outburst. He nodded his head, a hand going to his chin as if he was deep in thought. “Indeed, Lily Bo.” He turned to Tarkin. “Lightsabers are uncommon weapons, to be sure, and require skill to wield safely and well. But they are not complicated to build. Initiates are younger than Lily when they build their first lightsaber in the Order. Both of Lily’s brothers have built their own, and Lily carries the weapon her father carried as a padawan. Lightsabers are predominantly Jedi weapons, but not exclusively so. Her father’s weapon is an ancient Mandalorian weapon. I was there when he claimed it. And, as Lily points out, they are also the weapon of choice for the Sith. The Council has never had a problem with Clan Kryze carrying them. A  _ Sith Lord,  _ however, is another matter.”

Tarkin stared back at the Jedi for a long beat before sighing and turning back to Lily, leveling his cold eyes on her. A snake. Satine realized then that he reminded her of a snake. “Be that as it may, that does not answer how this child, who claims to only have been armed with a lightsaber and a blaster, was able to shoot the Supreme Chancellor dead with a projectile weapon.”

“You know very well that it was Bo-Katan’s, Admiral,” Satine snarled, tired of his relentless pursuit of catching Lily in a lie.

“Hmm, yes, Duchess, that is what Bo-Katan told us.” He turned back to Lily. “Did your aunt ask you to shoot the Chancellor? Or your mother, perhaps? You had been with her only a few minutes earlier.”

Lily’s face scrunched up in indignation. “No! Of course not! Mum would have preferred that we had captured him, I’m sure. She is a pacifist, after all.” She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “Auntie Bo would have shot him herself if she hadn’t been flattened by one of those pods. She didn’t ask me. It was  _ my  _ choice.  _ I  _ saw an opportunity and  _ I  _ took it.”

“But you didn’t have a slugthrower. How did you get your aunt’s?” Windu asked, trying to press some coolness back into the atmosphere with his cadence and tone. 

“Simple. I grabbed it while I was helping Auntie Bo back up. I think she was so shocked and hurt so much she didn’t notice.”

“But what possessed you, Lily?” Satine asked.

“The Force.”

“What?!” Tarkin barked.

Lily shook her head in disgust. “I’m half  _ jetii,  _ Admiral, remember?” she snarked. “I felt compelled by the Force. There was a…” She paused, considering her word choice. “There was, like, a whisper?” She looked to Master Windu, as if asking if he understood. He bowed his head in understanding, compelling her to go on. “Anyway, the whisper seemed to be telling me to get ready. It just made sense to grab Bo’s gun.” She shrugged. “Then the moment became apparent, and the Force kinda….guided me and...well...I shot him. Before he could kill Anakin.”

Tarkin scoffed again. Outright laughed, in fact, cold and harsh. “I’m to believe this child was told by a mystical force to shoot the Supreme Chancellor? While there were many adults who very well could have used their influence over her to shoot him?”

“Why would the adults in Lily’s life willingly put that burden on the shoulders of a thirteen year old girl when any number of them could have done the act themselves?” Mon Mothma asked. “Lady Kryze is a trained and skilled warrior by all accounts. The Duchess, I have been told, is an expert shot, though I believe she only does target practice for entertainment. There were any number of remarkably well trained Protectors and Death Watch in the building. I may not know much about the Force, Admiral, but it seems more likely to me than loving parents and caretakers commanding a child to assassinate the Chancellor.”

“Perhaps they thought we would be less harsh on a child, Senator,” Admiral Tarkin said.

Satine slammed her fist on the table, jolting everyone’s attention to her. “You are being needlessly cruel, Admiral. She is a  _ child.  _ A reckless, foolish, insanely skilled child, to be sure, but to suggest we would ask such a thing of her is cruel and outlandish!”

Master Windu raised both hands in a gesture of peace. “Alright, enough. Let’s not antagonize each other.” He looked at Lily. “One last question, Lily. How did you get the weapon?”

“When Aunt Bo was knocked down, I ran to her to check on her. She wasn’t knocked out, but she’d had the wind knocked out of her and was dazed.” She shrugged. “I grabbed it then, while I was checking to make sure she was ok.”

“She didn’t notice?” the Jedi asked.

Lily shook her head. “She hurt, a lot, and was very distracted by the fight between Dad and my siblings and the Sith. She didn’t know I had until I shot him.”

Windu pursed his lips and nodded. Tarkin went to speak, but the Jedi silenced him swiftly with a gesture. “Thank you Lily. That was all very helpful.” He bowed his head respectfully to Lily and turned to Satine. “And thank you, again, Duchess Kryze. Your additional input was valuable.” He turned to his colleagues. “That should be enough for us today.” 

Mon Mothma seemed to accept Windu’s unilateral decision, but Tarkin looked put out, clearly unhappy he would not be tormenting a teenage girl any longer that day. They all got up, shuffling their datapads and files, Tarkin slipping out ahead of the others.

Before anyone could get any further, however, Padme burst into the room, practically buzzing with excitement. Lily squeaked in surprise, then launched herself at the diminutive woman, who hugged her tight.

“Stars, Padme! What are you doing here?” Satine asked, stepping around the table, now freed from her unnecessary restraints, and hugging the woman herself. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

Padme smiled, though it was bittersweet and sad. “It’s hard to rest right now. But I  _ do  _ have some good news.” She pushed Lily away from her to arms length, so the girl could look at her. “I have finally gotten approval to take Lily into my custody.”

Satine all but wilted with relief had Bail Organa not steadied her with a hand on her shoulder. But Lily paled. “No. No. I need to stay here, with everyone else!”

“Don’t be silly, Lily,” Satine chided. “You should never have been taken into custody at all.”

“But, Mum, I’ll be away from you. And Bo is already gone and-”

Satine took Lily in her arms, tipping her chin up to look at her. “Lily, I am  _ fine.  _ Ahsoka and Ursa are there to keep me company. But, think, you can sleep in a comfortable bed and eat a proper meal. Have a proper bath. Go, my little love. Padme has done this for  _ you.” _

Padme rested her hands on Lily’s shoulders. “Besides, Lily, Bail and I are working to get everyone released. Hopefully, it will only be a few days before you can all be together.” She gave the girl a gentle tug. “Come on. You can help me decorate the nursery.”

Lily looked up at Satine, eyes welling with tears. “Mum, I’m afraid. What if they never let you out?”

Satine felt as if she’d swallowed a stone. Of course. There was always  _ that  _ potential. She smiled, trying to mask her own fears, but she knew it was of little use with any of her uniquely perceptive children. “That will not be happening, Lily Bo. We just need patience, and a bit of Mando’ade perseverance, alright? Go with Padme. I will see you in a few days, I am sure.”

Lily looked at her skeptically as one tear relented to gravity, but nodded her head in resignation, then wrapped her arms tightly around Satine’s waist, hugging the breath right out of her. Satine kissed the top of her head. “ _ Gar kotep, verd’ika. Gar kotep. Elek?” _

Lily relinquished her grip on her, finally, and nodded. “ _ Lek.” _

_ “Jate.  _ Now, go. Make sure Padme rests.” Lily nodded again, and turned, letting Padme lead her from the room. 

Satine sat heavily into a chair, cradling her head in her hands. She sat for a long moment before a hand squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll win this, Satine,” Bail said quietly. “Just take your own advice now and have some patience and perseverance.” 

Satine nodded, swiped at her eyes, then stood, pulling herself up to her full height. She smoothed the front of her horrid jumpsuit, tucked her unruly hair behind her ears, and trained her face into the mask of the Mandalorian duchess that she was.

“You’re absolutely correct, Bail.” 

As she was led back to her cell, she walked as if being led by her loyal Protectors, not to a cell in the Coruscanti GAR base, but to her throne. This would not break her.

* * *

  
  


“These are a dangerous, violent people, clearly bent on ending the Republic as we know it.”

Ahsoka groaned from beside Korkie where they stood, flanked by troopers guarding them, listening to the debate in the Senate chamber. Admiral Tarkin had the floor, and seemed to be speaking with as much hyperbole as he could muster. Down below, in the Mandalorian Senate pod, Korkie could see his parents, along with Anakin and Padme, their heads huddled together closely with Bail Organa’s. 

Bail stood then, stepping to the podium of the pod. “Admiral Tarkin, please. The Mandalorians have been peaceful members of the Republic for decades. And more recently, with Duchess Kryze in power, they have provided aid, brokered peace, and have rallied tirelessly for the end of a costly and violent war. All they want is to await their trial, together, from their apartments here on Coruscant.”

“I mean, technically I’d like to be able to go home to Mandalore and forget all this, but yeah, sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a proper shower would be nice,” Korkie whispered to Ahsoka. She jabbed him harshly in the ribs.

Tarkin took a deep breath to launch into another verbal attack. “They’re own history-”

“They’re own history has no bearing on the matter at hand,” Bail cut him off. “Mandalore has been, at best, a friend to many in the Republic, and, at worst, a quiet bystander for many, many years. Their ancient history is just that. Ancient.”

“Was Tarkin really going to try and argue our ancient history as his case?” Lily asked, leaning back against Korkie’s chest as she watched the proceedings. “What does some old crusty power mad Mand’alor have to do with us just wanting to get Ani safe?”

“Nothing,” Korkie said, resting his chin on the top of her head. He’d missed her, having been away from home long before all of this had gone down, and he was secretly happy she chose him to hang on for once instead of her new favorite, Ahsoka. “Our  _ crusty  _ ancestors have nothing to do with our mission, because we weren’t trying to take over the Republic. Kriffing hell. Death Watch is tiny. How the hell did he expect us to conquer the Grand Army of the Republic?”

“He’s a jerk,” Ahsoka said in unusually blunt and brutal fashion. “And he will try to cram his narrative down the throats of the Senate. Just like he did with me.”

“Jerk,” Lily snarled. Then squeaked as Ursa Wren bopped her on the back of the head, followed by two good smacks on the back of Korkie’s and Ahsoka’s.

“Hey!”

“ _ K’uur,  _ all three of you,” Ursa whispered. “You all know better, but since your mother is down there and your aunt isn’t here, then it’s up to me to keep you in line so you don't get all our  _ shebs _ hauled out.” Fenn Rau chuckled from next to her, but she flashed him a menacing look, silencing him instantly

Korkie rubbed the back of his head, where a lingering sting remained on his scalp. “Alright, alright.” 

He turned his attention back to the floor, trying to focus on Tarkin, who was mid rant once again. Kin Robb, the senator from Tarris that Korkie knew from her planet’s membership in the Council of Neutral of Systems, sat in the center podium, where Palpatine had once presided, looking frustrated with the admiral’s constant assault. She had been nominated and elected to provisionally lead the Senate until a proper election could be set up for a new Supreme Chancellor. It had been a wise choice, Korkie thought. She was smart, pragmatic, and seemed to know everyone, and was disliked by few. Of course, Palpatine had been a mentor to Padme and was voted into office easily. So, really, who could you actually trust? 

“...does not negate the fact that they violently infiltrated the Senate and  _ killed  _ Supreme Chancellor Palpatine,” Tarkin railed on. Korkie felt Lily stiffen against him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him, trying to press comfort to her through the Force. He glanced down and saw Ahsoka’s fingers twined with Lily’s, and knew she was doing the same. He wished he could take the burden for Lily. She was too young, still his baby sister. She’d  _ always  _ be his baby sister, and she didn’t deserve the trauma that came with her incredibly, ridiculously stupid and brave act. 

From what he had gathered, all parties had agreed, at least for now, that it would not be made public that it was  _ Lily  _ that had pulled the trigger. He was glad for her. It would help, he thought, in the long run, if she didn’t have to live with the public mystique of being the girl who shot Palpatine. 

“May I remind the Senate that, other than Palpatine himself, who was holding Anakin Skywalker against his will, and a half dozen of his own personal guard, not a single member of the Senate Guards nor the responding GAR forces were killed,” Bail said, voice level and cool to Tarkin’s heat. “Meanwhile, despite the Mandalorians using no lethal force whatsoever, they took substantial losses and have many injured.” He sighed, drooping his shoulders dramatically, then raised his hands in a placating manner, addressing the Senate as a whole. “Good people of the Senate, all these people wanted was their son back, and they knew, before anyone else, that they were going up against impossible odds. Their soldiers  _ laid down their weapons-  _ Mandalorians! Laid down their weapons and surrendered to Republic forces as soon as they knew it was safe. 

“I realize there is still much to discuss, much more data to analyze and digest, but these people are not a flight risk. They are not violent. Senator Skywalker, ultimately a victim in all this, deserves to be with his  _ pregnant  _ wife. The younger Kryze-Kenobi children deserve to be with their parents. You’ve seen the proposals for their house arrest. Let’s move to transfer them to house arrest for the remainder of the investigation.”

Admiral Tarkin opened his mouth to respond, but Senator Robb stood, holding up a hand. “I believe we have heard enough to take a vote. I thank the esteemed admiral and Senator Organa for their time. Members of the Senate, please cast your votes.”

Around Korkie, tension suddenly swirled around him as everyone collectively leaned in, waiting for the votes to come in. Far below, he saw his father take his mother’s hand, whisper something to her. His parents had rarely spent more than a few days apart in all of his eighteen years. A week at the most. So their reunion had been...emotional, to say the least, prior to the start of the hearing. He wondered what calming words he was saying to her now. Wondered if they would work on Lily, who seemed to be buzzing with nervous energy. 

“Breathe, Lily Bo. Relax,” he whispered, pressing calm into his voice. It did little good, other than getting her to take a deep breath. He didn’t blame her. He felt the same.

The count began to come in, and his grip tightened on Lily’s shoulders. The numbers for and against shifted in and out of their favor then steadily stayed in their favor. “Thank the kriffing stars,” Ursa muttered from behind him.

In the end, it was close, but the Senate approved the house arrest. It seemed such a trivial thing to be happy about- they were, after all  _ still  _ in custody. And Korkie knew that his family, maybe Ursa and Fenn, he assumed Tol’ket, if he came out of this alright, they would be the ones to benefit from this. The rest of the Protectors, Death Watch, they would stay in prison until this mess could be sorted out.  _ If  _ it got sorted out in their favor, that was. 

His parents’ senate pod came back to its berth, and they all stepped out. Bail was speaking as they joined the rest of the family. “...and you won’t be able to correspond outside of the apartments, but I’ll see what I can do to get you some time to speak with your administration.”

Obi-Wan patted the man on the shoulder. “Thank you, Bail, for everything.” He stopped in front of Korkie, Lily, and Ahsoka, and smiled, pulling them into an embrace. “But, I think we can all agree, we need some time to regroup. Then we can reassess in the morning.” He tipped Lily’s chin up, smiled down at her, gave a long, lingering look to their mother. “For now, let’s go home.”

* * *

  
  


Three days. Tol’ket had been out of the bacta tank for three days, but had lay motionless in his bed, eyes closed. The Jedi healers reminded Bo-Katan nearly every time they entered his room that he had lost a lot of blood. These things take time, they would say in that stoic, calm, level way that drove her insane. 

It had been three long days on top of the week in bacta. But at least she was here. By the grace and quick thinking of Master Che, using the excuse to treat Bo’s own injuries, she was here, in the Temple, watching over her husband (her  _ husband.  _ The concept was still utterly foreign to her. Perhaps because he had spent the entirety of their short marriage unconscious), and not locked away in a cell. At least, if she was going to be held in custody, it was here, by his side, waiting, hoping for the man she loved to wake up.

After her own blessedly brief dip in a bacta tank, Bo had been biding her time, saying warrior prayers to their ancestors, harassing the Jedi who came to check on them both, picking at the food that was brought to her, and staring at Tol’ket, willing him to wake. Bail Organa visited daily, bringing news of the progress on their case. A few times, Master Che had allowed Bo to be escorted around the halls to visit with the members of Death Watch and the Protectors still there, trying to buoy their morale. 

It was late in the afternoon on the third day. She sat cross legged on the foot of Tol’ket’s bed, staring at a holobook Bail had brought for her, and absently tracing circles on his leg, when a low groan followed by a raspily grunted, “Oh  _ fuck,”  _ caused her eyes to shoot up to his face as his eyes blinked open.

“Tol’ket!” she breathed in relief, scurrying up the length of the bed to get in his line of vision.

It took him a moment for his eyes to focus. He sighed. “Bo?” 

“Hi. You scared me, bastard,” she said, lovingly.

“I’m alive?” he asked, raising an unsteady hand to cup her cheek. She grabbed it and held it there, leaning into the warm familiar feeling of his hand.

“You are, but it was a bit touch and go for a few days,” she told him, smiling.

“Oh, well, my apologies for scaring you,  _ cyare _ .” He squirmed to sit up, then gasped sharply. She released his hand from her cheek and pressed him gently back into his pillows.

“Lie still, you’re still a bit of a mess.”

“Mmm,” he hummed, settling back. “Good idea.” He licked his dry lips. “Can I have a sip of water, then?”

She got up from the bed and poured him a cup of water from the pitcher sitting next to her half eaten lunch. Returning, she held the straw to his lips. “Sips, love,” she directed as he took a drink. “We can get into the details later, but your innards were karked. I would ask that you refrain from being skewered by beskads from now on.”

He chuckled, weakly pushing the cup away. “I will do my best.” Then his dark brows pinched together in confusion. “Bo, did….did we...did we recite the  _ riddurok _ that night?”

She nodded. “We did. But I won’t hold you to it.”

He gave her a perplexed look. “Only if you don’t want to be held to it.”

She couldn’t help it. Her face broke into a wide smile. “Of course I do, you  _ di’kut. _ I love you.”

The smile he returned could have lit up a moonless night. “Oh, thank the stars,” he breathed. “I thought it was just a dream. Kriffing hell, do I love you, Bo-Katan. Now, come here and kiss me since I’m not allowed to move.”

She obliged and leaned over him, kissing him gently as he twined his fingers through her hair, holding her to him, only letting her go far enough to press her forehead to his when their lips finally parted.

“I’ve always said you would torment me for eternity,” he said with a raspy laugh.

“Now it’s just official,” she said, placing a lingering kiss to his forehead.

He chuckled again as he finally let her head go, taking her hand. “How long have I been out?” he asked.

“This is the eighth day, I think,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and running a hand gently through his thick curls. She’d never grow tired of touching him. “You spent a week in bacta after many hours in surgery, and you’ve been out of bacta for three.”

“Hell of a honeymoon,  _ cyare _ .”

“You’ll make it up to me eventually,” she said with a shrug.

“Drunk on a beach?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows, a crooked grin on his lips. He looked tired already, just the physical act of talking draining what little energy he had, but seeing that smile made her heart leap in her chest.

“Precisely,” she said softly, leaning in to kiss him again.

“What a sight for sore eyes!” Master Che’s voice startled Bo so hard she nearly toppled off the bed. 

“We’re karking married. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be interrupted when I’m trying to kiss you,” Tol’ket growled before grabbing Bo by the collar of her tunic and dragging her to his lips. She laughed into the kiss, making him laugh, then wince.

Master Che cleared her throat. “Touching. Really.” She stood at the foot of Tol’ket’s bed, watching them. “Captain Tol’ket, it  _ is  _ good to see you awake and in fine spirits. I am Master Vokara Che. I have been overseeing your care since you arrived.”

Tol’ket’s face scrunched in confusion. “Master? As in Jedi?” He looked between Bo and the healer, searching for an answer.

“For a variety of reasons, Captain, your injured were brought to the Jedi Temple,” Master Che explained, glancing at a datapad. She sat the datapad down and moved to the side of the bed. “Pardon me, Bo-Katan.” She shooed Bo away from the bed, moving in to take Tol’ket’s pulse and listen to his heart.

“Master Jedi, as this woman’s Protector, I must insist you use her proper title of Lady Bo-Katan or Lady Kryze,” Tol’ket said, watching Bo as she moved to the foot of his bed, grinning at her as she went. She reached down, gently rubbing one of his feet, just as an excuse to touch him, unwilling to let him out of her line of sight.

Master Che sighed, as she gently tugged up his hospital gown, examining his wound. “As her healer,  _ Captain,  _ we are well past titles, I think.”

“ _ Bo’s  _ healer?” he barked, then grimaced, earning him a disapproving look from the Twi’lek. “Bo, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Tol’ket.  _ Udesiir _ ,” Bo said, rolling her eyes. 

“But-” he began to protest but the healer placed a hand on his chest, settling him. 

“She’s alright. It is absolutely nothing you need to worry about now, understood?” He nodded his head, keeping his eyes fixed on Bo. “The only thing you need to worry about-  _ either  _ of you need to worry about- is resting and healing.” She pulled his gown back down, pulling the covers up around his chest. “I am sure you will be like every other kriffing Mandalorian in this place and show absolutely zero self preservation or common sense, but if you’re good and rest and do as I say, I’ll be able to release you to the care of your family sooner than later, got it?”

“They’re free?” Tol’ket asked Bo, eyes wide with relief.

Bo shrugged. “House arrest, but only as of yesterday.”

He started to ask another question, but Master Che pressed her hand gently to his chest again, seeming to press calmness into him. “I am sure you have a million questions, and they will all be answered in time, Tol’ket. But you have been unconscious for eight, going on nine days, and I had to piece together a large chunk of your digestive tract. You  _ need  _ to rest. Sleep. You’re safe, your lovely wife is safe, your royal family is safe. That’s all you need to worry about.” She turned away from him and headed toward the door, stopping beside Bo as she went. “You rest, as well, Bo-Katan. You can stop worrying quite so much. He’s officially on the mend now.” She squeezed Bo’s shoulder, then left in a swirl of Jedi robes.

Tol’ket grinned at Bo, but she could tell he was exhausted. Sleep would be along soon. “You were worried for me?” he asked, teasing.

She moved around the bed, sitting on the edge again, and traced the hard line of his jaw with her fingers. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “Of course I was worried for you. I thought you died,” she whispered. “For two days, I thought you were dead, Tol’ket. And it  _ broke  _ me. Of all the things I’ve survived- losing my parents and my sister and my home. Everything,  _ everything  _ I went through with Pre- losing you is what broke me.”

“But you didn’t lose me and you’re not broken.” He tugged her gently to him and she went willingly, curling up beside him on the narrow bed. He shifted gingerly to make a bit more room, wrapping an arm around her protectively. Her head rested on his chest, and she could hear the steady, strong rhythm of it. Just like Tol’ket- steady and strong. 

“You know,” he started, his voice tired and soft, but still rumbling deep in his chest. “I don’t really know if I dreamed for eight days. Do people dream when they’re unconscious? Eh, who knows. Anyway, what I was going to say is that all I can seem to remember is the sense of you, and I kept willing myself to stay.”

She propped herself up, looking at him curiously. “And you did.”

“That I did,  _ cyare.”  _ He threaded his hand through her hair, pulling her to him, and kissed her, slow and warm. Their lips parted, and he gently pushed her back against him. She sighed, content to listen to his heart, listen as his breathing evened out as he slipped back toward sleep.

And, soon, she followed, forgetting everything else for a while. Everything but him. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispering* He's going to be oooookaaaaaaayyyyy. I think. 
> 
> Mando'a Less for the day!  
> Gar kotep, verd’ika. Gar kotep. Elek?: You are brave, little warrior. You are brave. Yes?
> 
> I love you all! The comment section is WILD again, and I am sorry. Your love is overwhelming!


	66. A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family navigates the instability in the galaxy, and makes a plan to ensure the safety of Mandalore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, no really, we are almost to the end. I see it now. It's barreling down on us. It's so close. Can you feel it? I can feel it. 
> 
> My darling beings, you all are the light of my life, the wind beneath my wings. I love you all, even if I have failed horribly and completely at keeping up with my inbox. Knowing the end is nigh, all I want to do is write this story for you, and splitting my attention between the story and personally thanking you for your kindness is difficult. But I read them. I love them. You all are amazing.

_ 19 BBY _

Anakin woke in a panic, gasping for air, hair clinging to his face and neck with sweat. He glanced over at Padme. She was still fast asleep, the lights of Coruscant playing across her lovely, peaceful face. He sighed heavily, scrubbing his flesh hand roughly through his hair and down his face. He’d thought he would be done with the nightmares with Sidious dead. But, after the few blessed nights of dreamless sleep induced by pain meds immediately following his release from Sidious’ torture, then a few nights of poor sleep thanks to the restless energy in their cramped, shared cell, Anakin now found his sleep plagued again. 

He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of their bed, and rose, grabbing his robe as he left their bedroom. He wanted to go out onto the balcony, maybe meditate a bit in the cool night air, but the house arrest order had the balcony off limits this time of night. Logically, he didn’t blame anyone for that. He himself knew far too well how easy it could be to slip away in the night. But, irrationally, he desperately wanted fresh air on his skin, after so many days and nights confined.

He compromised, standing at the sealed transparisteel doors, and closed his eyes, trying to release the anxiety and fear of his nightmares into the Force. At least it felt whole, again. Tangible and comforting, instead of shredded and frail, as it had near Sidious. It was his own mind tonight that made rooting himself in the Light difficult.

“Anakin?” He did not know how long he had been standing there when her soft voice pulled him back to the dark of their living room. He felt her hands slip around his waist from behind, her face press into his back. “Ani, why are you up?” she asked, squeezing him in a gentle hug, her belly pressing into him.

He rotated, gathering her in his arms. “I couldn’t sleep,” he replied simply. 

She looked up at him, her skepticism plain on her face. “Anakin, you promised you would talk to me. You  _ promised.”  _

Anakin sighed deeply, breaking free of their embrace. He paced away, the anxiety bleeding back into him. “I did, you’re right.”

“Then what’s wrong? This is more than, well, everything that’s going on right now. I can tell.”

He picked up a baby toy from the top of a small pile of nursery and infant supplies delivered to the apartment earlier in the day. He fiddled with it absently. “It is,” he agreed. He sat the toy back down and ran his flesh hand across a plush blanket, refusing to meet Padme’s eyes.

“Anakin,” she prodded, her voice gentle, but firm.

“I’m having nightmares.  _ Still  _ having nightmares,” he finally admitted.

There was a long beat of silence between them. “You’ve been having nightmares?” He nodded. “For how long?”

He sat heavily on a settee. “Shortly after we found out you were pregnant.”

She sat next to him, a hand absently rubbing her swollen stomach. She took his hand, her lips pursed in thought before finally speaking, her voice soft with worry. “What are they about?”

He stared at their interlocked fingers, his thumb brushing across the back of her knuckles. She complained about her fingers being swollen, but her hands were still lovely to him. “I thought, at first, that they were just anxiety dreams about becoming a father. But they’ve grown worse. More intense. More real.”

“What do you dream, Ani?” She reached up with her other hand, tipping his chin up, forcing him to look at her. 

“I dream you and maybe our baby will die,” he whispered, blinking at the sting of tears.

She studied him closely for a moment, her expression flicking from surprise to concern to a hard realization. “Are they like the dreams you had about your mother?”

He nodded, swallowing a hard lump that had formed in his throat. Padme took his flesh hand, pressing it against her belly, and he felt his daughter’s corresponding kick of indignation at being disturbed. Several hard kicks in fact.

“She’s fine, Ani. I’m fine, other than my blood pressure, which, quite frankly, I can and should blame on  _ you. _ ” She smiled at him, brushing her hand down his cheek. “We’ll have the midwife come by tomorrow. Prove to you we’re alright.” She said it decisively, tolerating no argument from him. 

“Things can go wrong, Padme,” he said quietly, his hand still where she left it, sending a calming wave through the Force to his baby, who shined bright, so bright, even now, in the Force. She settled, her kicking and fidgeting going quiet. He couldn’t resist the smile of tender joy that came to him.

Padme covered his hand with hers. “Absolutely things can go wrong. But we are doing everything in our power to limit the risks.” She squeezed his hand tightly. “Ani, is this why you went to Palpatine?”

He sighed, slumping back into the cushions of the settee. “It was part of it. I thought he was causing them somehow. And I thought they would stop once he was dead. But they haven’t.”

She leaned back against him, curling herself against his side, her head nestled against his chest, her hair close to his nose, smelling of the wildflower fields on Naboo that surrounded the Lake Country. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. “I don’t have many words of wisdom for you- that’s what your father is for- but you need to try and be calm, alright, Ani? All we can do is to keep doing what we’re doing, and trust that it will all work out fine.” She looked up at him, through her long, dark lashes. “Just think. In a few weeks, she will be here. Perfect and healthy and  _ ours.  _ Until then, though, we need to focus on the things we can, like clearing your family’s name. Yes?”

He nodded, kissing the crown of her head. “Yes, angel. Exactly.”

“Good.” She stood, trying to not appear awkward and top heavy, and failing miserably. She held her hand out to him. “Come on. Bail is coming for breakfast in the morning to discuss strategy for the hearing later in the week. We need to sleep, Anakin.”

He took her hand, pulling himself up to his feet. “You’re right, as always.” He stepped close to her, framing her face gently with his hands, and tipped her lips up to his, kissing her tenderly. “I love you, Padme. I will do everything I can to keep you and the baby safe.”

She kissed him again, then, wrapping her arms around his neck, tucked his head to the crook of her neck. He breathed deep, reveling in her scent. “I know you will, Ani. I love you, so very much.” She pulled free, taking his hand to lead him toward their room. “Come on. I have ideas on how to help you relax.” She grinned wickedly over her shoulder, biting her lip in that way that had made his heart flutter since their very first kiss. He let her lead him away, not just from their living room, but from their worries, from his nightmares. At least for a short, glorious time. 

* * *

Obi-Wan sighed, content and loose limbed as Satine laid across him, placing feather soft kisses along his sternum. They were both still a bit warm from their recent activities, his hair damp with sweat. Soft early morning light filtered in around the drapes in their quarters, blocking out the buzz and organized chaos of Coruscant traffic, leaving the room in a quiet, rosy glow. It was an easy atmosphere to stay present in, forgetting about their troubles, only luxuriating in the warmth of his wife pressed against him, her long legs twined with his, his fingers combing through her silken hair.

She paused her lazy kissing, resting her chin on her arm draped across his chest to look up at him. “Ben, aren’t we being rather self indulgent, spending our time doing….well, doing this?”

He chuckled, pulling her up to him to kiss her. “It’s not like we’re able to take much exercise right now, so we might as well get our heart rates up doing something enjoyable, don’t you think, my dear?”

Satine smacked him lightly on the chest. “You’re incorrigible, Obi-Wan,” she scolded, though her eyes glittered with the same mischief he felt. She pulled away from him, climbing out of their bed, pulling on her dressing gown as she went. He watched her move across the room, pulling open the drapes to let the sunrise pink light stream in.

“It’s not like we’re neglecting our duties,” he said, scooting up to a seated position against the pillows. “But what else are we going to do with our time, other than pester our children trapped here with us?”

She laughed lightly at that. “Fair point.” She turned to the window, watching the traffic zip by. “Still, I can’t help but feel guilty, sleeping in my comfortable bed with my husband, indulging in our baser needs, knowing our family is close and safe, while the men and women who followed us here are trapped in cells.”

“You feel guilty, Satine, because you care for your people.” 

She turned back to him, about to say something, when both their datapads pinged with an alert. Their communications were limited and almost predominantly ferried to and fro by Bail Organa, but they were still allowed to receive news from the outside world. Obi-Wan picked his datapad up to see what was pressing enough news to warrant an alert.

Satine moved into the fresher as he read silently to himself for a moment before disbelief overtook him. “Satine,” he called. When she didn’t immediately respond, he called to her again, louder. “Satine, you will want to hear this.”

Satine appeared in the doorway of the fresher, a brow arched in annoyance. “What is it? The water is running.”

“Listen to this,” Obi-Wan said, reading the news report from his datapad.

> _ Count Dooku, leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, has surrendered to the Jedi and leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic over the neutral planet of Rodia.  _
> 
> _ Early reports state that the Serreno count has been unaware of the humanitarian atrocities and war crimes committed by the CIS military leader, General Grevious, and is willing to seek a peace accord between the CIS and the Republic. _
> 
> _ This is a rapidly developing story. We will be updating as we know more. _

Satine froze in the doorway, staring at Obi-Wan. “I...I don’t believe it. Read it again.”

He obeyed, reading through the short press release again. She moved to the bed, sitting down on the edge next to him as he read. When he finished, he looked up at her, her face a storm of conflicting emotions.

“What does this mean?” she finally asked.

Obi-Wan stared at the datapad for a moment, the words blurring together as he thought. Then he looked back up at her. “It would be nice to think it means the war is over.” He sighed, shook his head. “But I don’t trust Dooku, and even if he  _ does  _ surrenders, I don’t believe Grevious will.”

“So, no peace,” Satine said, shoulders slumping.

“I would not pin your hopes on it, my dear, no.”

She pulled the datapad from his hands, looking at the story herself, scrolling to read comments from readers. “And what do you think it means for us? For Mandalore? Dooku told you ages ago about a Sith Lord on Coruscant.”

Obi-Wan nodded, reaching up to brush a lock of hair behind Satine’s ear. “He did, you’re right. I suppose we will have to wait and see what, if anything, he says.”

Satine took a deep breath, pulling her shoulders back, and nodded. “Yes, yes. As with everything, we will just have to wait and see.”

He gently wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, pulling her in for a soft kiss. “Do not fret, Satine. We will prevail.”

“I wish I had your confidence, Ben.” She rested her forehead to his. “I want to tell Bo and Tol’ket of our back up plan this evening. She- well,  _ they, _ now, I suppose, need to be prepared in case our hearing goes poorly. It will give us a day, at least, to discuss things with them.”

He studied her closely, heart aching that her optimism was so lacking. Satine was not one to give up, but the last few weeks had been brutal on all of them, with constant interrogations, hearings, meetings, and scathing coverage in the media. Tarkin was especially harsh, on all of them, despite Mace Windu’s constant efforts to temper the admiral’s fierce determination to catch them in a lie. He didn’t blame Satine for wanting to prepare for the worst, though he hoped he could encourage her to continue to hope for the best.

“Yes, Satine. As you wish. We’ll talk to them this evening, after dinner, alright?” She nodded, and he kissed her forehead. “Good. Now, how about that shower?”

Before he could climb out from under the bed covers (for which he was grateful) the door to their quarters flew open, and Korkie plowed in, Ahsoka and Lily right on his heels, waving a datapad of his own. “Have you  _ seen  _ this?!” 

“Have  _ you _ lost all sense of decorum and manners?” Obi-Wan growled as he yanked the covers further up his torso. “And what is  _ this?”  _

Korkie shoved the datapad in his face while Lily sprawled across the bed and Ahsoka sat down beside Satine. The datapad’s screen showed the same press release he had read himself, only minutes earlier.

“Yes, in fact, we have seen this. We were just talking about it,” Obi-Wan said, pushing the datapad away. 

“But what does it mean?” Lily asked, plucking at a loose thread in her mother’s dressing gown. “Is the war over? Can we go home?”

Satine ran a hand through Lily’s loose, wild hair, rubbed Ahsoka’s back tenderly. “All excellent questions that we can discuss over breakfast.” She stood, and began herding the children out of the room. “Now, go get dressed, and let your father and I do the same.”

“But, Mum, will they actually nego-”

“Korkie, go! We will discuss it at breakfast. Today is a busy day, with your aunt and Tol’ket being released from the healers, and Bail coming this evening. So, give us a few minutes to gather our wits, and we will discuss  _ all  _ of this.” She shoved him gently through the open door, the girls following behind with some reluctance. “Whoever is dressed first, put the water on for tea, please.”

With that, she palmed the door shut, keying the lock. She let out a long breath as she turned back to Obi-Wan. “We raised animals.”

Obi-Wan climbed out of the bed, now that their audience was gone and he didn’t need to worry about scarring any of their children with his nakedness, and headed toward the fresher. “Ahh, yes. But they are  _ our  _ animals, and we love them despite their incivility.”

Satine let out an undignified snort of laughter as she followed him into the fresher, dropping her dressing gown to the floor.

Their shower took a bit longer than it normally should have, but a few extra minutes of thinking of nothing but the love of his life instead of the myriad of troubles resting firmly on all their shoulders was certainly not a waste of time in Obi-Wan’s mind.

* * *

“This is strange.”

Bo looked up from the dresser she was rifling through, well stocked by Satine with clothes and undergarments for both she and Tol’ket. “What’s strange?” she asked, looking over at him, sprawled on the big bed, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, bare save for the towel wrapped around his waist. They’d arrived a few hours earlier, and, after spending some time with the rest of the family, had been chased by Obi-Wan back to their quarters to rest, enjoy a proper shower, and change out of their scratchy, shapeless Jedi supplied clothes.

He gestured at the room around them vaguely. “I don’t know.  _ All  _ of it.” He sighed heavily, locking his eyes on her. “I’ve been in this apartment a thousand times. I know every centimeter of it. But this,” he waved his hand over his body, “laying here. This is weird.”

Bo walked over to him, tossing some clothes for herself on the foot of the bed as she went, and sat next to him. “Of course it’s strange,” she said, brushing damp curls away from his forehead. His hair was longer than she’d ever seen it. She liked it. 

“Good, you agree.”

She chuckled. “Tol’ket, nothing about anything that has happened in recent weeks has been normal.”

He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “The way the Duchess...your sister, looked at me today. Is she angry with me?”

“What? Why, would she be angry with you?” There had been a weird bit of awkwardness when they had first arrived, but it was more from Satine’s own fretting and doting over both of them, hammering them with a thousand questions on their well being. If anything, Bo had felt like they were a fun novelty for her family. Something new to obsess over. Confinement, it seemed, did not wear well on the Kryze-Kenobis.

“Should I have asked for your hand? Maybe she thinks I was brash. Disrespectful to the throne.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “A mere Protector, marrying into Clan Kryze. And without the clan leader’s blessing.”

She studied him closely for a long moment. He was truly concerned, anxious, even. An usual look for him. She took his hand in hers, squeezing it. It was warm and heavy and comforting, both in her hand and where it rested against her bare thigh. He was real and tangible and she’d yet to stop revelling in that, having come so close to losing him before she really had even had him. “First, love, you were  _ terribly  _ brash, but I went right along with you, didn’t I? We’ve always just chased after each other, no questions asked. And that’s what we did. I have no regrets, and I know you don’t either. Right?” A corner of his lips tipped up, and he nodded. 

“Second, you are far more than a  _ mere _ Protector, and if I ever even get a whiff of you thinking such stupidity again, I swear on our ancestors I will have to beat you senseless. Besides, your Duchess married a karking  _ jetii.  _ At least I married a Mando’ad.” He laughed at that, a deep and rumbling sound that Bo cherished.

“Fair point,  _ cyare.” _

“As for anyone’s blessing, the only person’s blessing you needed to worry about was  _ mine,  _ and I gave it. Freely, with my whole heart. If we’d done things a bit differently instead of, oh, I don’t know, you bleeding out on the floor, and you  _ had  _ asked Satine for her blessing, she would have laughed you right out of the throne room.” His face scrunched with shock and terror, and she squeezed his hand again. “She would have laughed because she would have told you it wasn’t her blessing to give.” He relaxed, sagging a bit in relief, running the pads of his fingertips along her bare skin beneath their joined hands.. “She’s not angry, I promise you that. But, yes, this is all strange and new and it happened  _ very _ fast and now we’ve left our weird, safe little cocoon at the temple, and we’re  _ all  _ stressed out of our kriffing minds.” She leaned in, kissing him. “We’ll figure it all out, together, alright?”

He nodded, resting his head to hers.”Alright. It’s still strange, though.”

Bo growled in mock frustration. “You’re a ridiculous man.” She kissed him again, then stood, smacking him lightly on the side of his thigh. “Now get dressed for dinner. Apparently, we’re celebrating our nuptials.”

He rose, kissing the point of her shoulder as he moved past her. “Some celebration,” he groused. “I can’t have  _ tihaar  _ or caf or even anything  _ hetikleyc.  _ Ignoring the fact that we’re also incarcerated.” He dug through a drawer of the dresser, pulling out a pair of undershorts. “And, again I say, this is weird. The Duchess bought me underpants.”

Bo laughed as she slid a soft green shimmer silk tunic on over her head, marveling at how Satine always seemed to know exactly what Bo would like to wear on the rare occasion she didn’t wear beskar. Bo wasn’t even really sure where her armor was at the moment. She stamped down that disconcerting thought, focusing on the things in her control. Like her slowly spiralling, ridiculous spouse.

“I’m sure she didn’t hand select them, love,” she told him, pulling on a pair of matching leggings.

“It’s still weird,” he grumbled, pulling them on, before slipping a simple Kryze blue tunic on over his shoulders.

Bo shook her head, smiling to herself as she sat down at the vanity table. “Just get dressed,  _ ner dik’utla riduur _ .”

He gave her a jaunty salute accompanied by a crooked grin in the mirror, before fastening the tunic closed. “You got it, boss.” She grinned back at him in the mirror, thanking every deity in the galaxy that he was  _ here.  _ He was hers, even in all the strangeness and fear. He was there with her, to navigate it all with her.

* * *

  
  


Dinner had been a fairly casual affair, turning a bit raucous, as these things tended to do, despite how little booze had been consumed in an unspoken deference to Tol’ket’s dietary restrictions. Satine didn’t need the Force that evening to sense an ease of tension and anxiety at the table. It was good to see a bit of normalcy, the making of some pleasant memories amidst the struggles of the past weeks. It eased her heart a little knowing that, if things went how she was afraid they would go in their next hearing, not every moment leading up to that hearing would be one of anxiety and sadness.

Ursa and Fenn Rau, both sharing a smaller apartment a floor below, had been escorted up to have dinner with them, which had granted Ursa the chance to fuss and worry over Bo and Tol’ket, and tease the poor man mercilessly once she was certain he could handle it. Satine, knowing the history between Fenn and Bo, had felt a bit sorry for the poor man, but he’d shown admirable grace, congratulating the newlyweds warmly, with a promise to take his captain on a proper  _ Briikasak _ night when they were able. Ursa had snorted in glee, while Satine and Bo rolled their eyes in tandem.

The three children (Korkie may have been eighteen, but he was still absolutely a child in her mind), had asked a million questions each regarding Bo and Tol’ket’s time in the temple. Bail Organa had brought a spectacular bottle of Alderaanian effervescent wine to give Bo and Tol’ket as a wedding gift, to be saved once Tol’ket was able to partake again. All that had been missing, really, was Anakin and Padme, but no amount of pleading had granted Anakin release from his own confinement to join them. 

But now it was late in the evening. Ursa and Fenn had excused themselves for the evening, and Satine had sent the children out of the living room, to do stars knew what, leaving her, Obi-Wan, and Bail alone with Bo and Tol’ket.

Bo shifted nervously on the sofa beside Tol’ket. “What’s this about?” she asked, clearly suspicious of the absence of her nieces and nephew. 

Satine smoothed her dress across her lap absently. “I believe Bail has been keeping you up to date on the progress of our case?” Bo and Tol’ket nodded together as Bo searched for and found Tol’ket’s hand, pulling it into her lap. “Good, good,” Satine breathed. “So you are aware that it isn’t going spectacularly well.”

“We are,” Tol’ket said quietly. “I am to understand Palpatine had quite a hold on a large percentage of the Senate, correct?”

Bail cleared his throat, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Unfortunately, yes, this is true. Even before the recent events, some of us- Padme, Anakin, Mon Mothma, myself, quite a few others, really- had been working together to find some way to, at the very least, lessen his sway over the Senate, if not finally get him out of office, but it has been an uphill climb.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, we haven’t made the progress we would have liked, and his death, despite Anakin’s extensive evidence and testimonies, has not helped much.”

“What? That’s absurd,” Bo all but shouted. “I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands, obviously. I’ve read through Anakin’s evidence multiple times. How is this not cut and dry?”

“Because it is the Senate,” Obi-Wan said in frustration. “Because they are  _ politicians.”  _ He looked a bit sheepishly at Bail. “Obviously not you, Bail.”

“Of course, obviously not, Obi-Wan,” Bail said with a small smile, humor in his voice. 

“And what of Dooku?” Bo asked. “Can’t his testimony help us?”

Bail nodded thoughtfully, though his face was melancholy. “We are hoping he arrives in time before the next hearing. If he testifies before the Senate to make a plea for his own sake, it could help tremendously. But….” He trailed off, glancing back to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But,” he picked up where Bail left off, “trusting Dooku to actually be honest is a big risk. One we should not count on.”

“So we’re karked,” Tol’ket said quietly, looking down at his feet. He sighed heavily before scrubbing a hand through his hair, then looked at Bo. “How many times have I said Mandalore is karked?”

Bo looked at him, sharing some unspoken thought that Satine could only begin to wonder about. She felt a bit sad about breaking up whatever moment they were sharing. “Well, actually, that’s why we wanted to talk to you two. Obi-Wan and I, with the help of Bail, have a plan.” Satine looked at Obi-Wan for support. He nodded, taking her hand. They practically mirrored the couple across from them. “Should things go the way we fear the day after tomorrow, Obi-Wan and I are preparing to take the full weight of the blame and make a deal that will clear everyone else, including you two.”

Bo went rigid. “Satine…”

Satine held up her hand, silencing her sister. “There is no lie here. You led Death Watch to follow your Mand’alor. You and the entirety of Death Watch followed the tenets of the  _ Resol’nare.”  _ Satine turned, meeting Tol’ket’s eyes. “You and the Protectors followed the mandates of your position, protecting and standing by the throne. You followed orders, nothing more.”

“Satine, I  _ planned  _ the attack!” Bo barked, incredulous and disbelieving.

“At my order, Bo-Katan,” Obi-Wan said evenly. “You only followed orders.”

Bo’s eyes were wild with rising panic. “If you take the blame, if they convict you, what will happen?”

Satine looked at Bail, who picked up on her cue. “We will work for a sentence of life in prison, maybe even exile outside the Republic, but the death sentence is a real possibility.”

“No. Nononono. No, Satine, you can’t do this. What of Mandalore? Your  _ children?”  _ Bo choked on a strangled sob. “For fuck sake, you two have a grandchild on the way! You can  _ not  _ be serious. We have to fight for this!”

“Keep your voice down, Bo,” Satine hissed. “We  _ are  _ going to fight it, but we need to cover our bases. Hedge our bets. And it is vital that you two do not get convicted, as well, if things don’t go as we wish.”

“Why?” Tol’ket asked simply, saving Bo from having to speak. “Why are we so vital?”

“Bo will act as regent. Anakin will not want to take the throne. Understandably. He thinks his loyalties are divided, being married to Padme.” Bo started to speak, her eyes glassy and wild, but Satine shook her head, silencing her for a second time. “Korkie would likely feel it is his duty to sit on the throne, but Obi-Wan and I both rather he have more time to come into his own. Ruling was  _ hard  _ at twenty. It will be much harder at eighteen.”

“ _ Manda’ner!  _ Satine, this is crazy. I can’t rule Mandalore,” Bo whispered harshly. “ _ Dini’la. Jaro.”  _ She buried her face in her hands, pressing her fingers to her eyes. Tol’ket pulled her closer to him, rubbing her back. “I can’t do what you’re asking,” Bo whispered again.

“Yes, you can,” Satine said firmly. “You are a born leader, Bo-Katan, and you know our people. But you are only _half_ of the equation.” She looked pointedly at Tol’ket. “Tol’ket, besides being fiercely loyal to Mandalore and _you,_ Bo, has also sat through innumerable meetings on all matters of Mandalorian matters, both with me and and with Obi-Wan. He is an unwitting scholar of governing. He is wise and steadfast. But you already know that. He will be to you what Obi-Wan has been for me all these years.” 

Satine looked at her husband, squeezing his hand tightly. He smiled sadly back at her, before they both turned and looked at the couple across from them. Bo looked like she might faint. Tol’ket wore an odd expression of shell shock and resignation.

“On a more personal matter,” Obi-Wan said gently, “we would ask that you raise Lily, watch over Ahsoka. Korkie is obviously the age of responsibility, but he still needs guidance.” He shrugged, chuckled a bit humorlessly. “Anakin, too, really.”

Bo swiped roughly at her face and nodded. “That I  _ can  _ do.” Tol’ket nodded in agreement.

“You can do  _ all  _ of it, Bo,” Satine said, pushing herself off the settee and moving to rest on her knees in front of Bo. “I would not ask you to carry such a burden if I didn’t think you were capable. I know you will keep Mandalore safe. You need to believe in your abilities as much as the rest of us believe in you.” She pulled Bo’s hands away from her face. “Please, Bo. I can’t do what I must do if I don’t know Mandalore will be safe in your hands. Promise me, Bo-Katan. I need your promise.” 

Tears fell in earnest, rolling down Bo’s freckled cheeks. “I promise, Satine. I swear to you.” She slid off the sofa, kneeling in front of Satine, and Satine gasped when Bo pulled her into a tight, heartbreaking embrace. “But please fight, Satine. Please. I need you.” It was whispered in her ear; Satine doubted any of the men truly heard what Bo had said. Satine tightened her grip on her sister, fighting the sting in her own eyes. 

“I promise, Bo. We  _ will _ fight this.” Satine looked up at Tol’ket. “Promise me you will help her, Protector.” She said it sternly, a command. He nodded sharply.

“For her, your grace, anything. I swear to you.” He gingerly pushed himself to the floor, kneeling behind Bo, a hand on her low back, but looking intently at Satine. “I will do everything in my power to protect your family and to protect  _ Manda’yaim.” _

Satisfied, Satine rose, dragging Bo to her feet with her, then offering a helping hand to Tol’ket. “Good. Go rest. Sleep on this. We can discuss it more tomorrow, with the whole family.” Bo nodded, wiping tears off her cheeks. She started to speak, but Satine shook her. “Go on, Bo. It’s been a long day.”

Bo nodded again, saying a quiet good night to Obi-Wan and Bail. Tol’ket gently guided her away. “Good night, Senator,” he said as they moved through the living area. “Thank you for your help in all of this. Good night, Obi-Wan, old friend.” 

With that, they disappeared to their quarters. Bail rose from his seat. “I must be off. We will talk tomorrow.” He shook hands with Obi-Wan, kissed Satine on the cheek, and made his way out.

Satine stood in the center of the living area, the sudden silence and stillness washing around her. She felt Obi-Wan’s eyes on her, and she finally turned to face him. “I feel like I am giving up, Obi-Wan.”

He shook his head, then closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms. “You are not, Satine. We are still fighting. But now we know that all will not be lost. Mandalore, our  _ family _ will be safe no matter what the outcome.”

Satine snuggled into the crook of Obi-Wan’s neck, letting his arms hold her closer. “Don’t let me give up, Ben.”

“I won’t if you do the same for me, my dear,” he whispered, his lips brushing her hair.

“I promise you.”

His arms tightened around her, and he kissed her temple. “And I promise you.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Lesson for the Day:  
> Hetikleyc- spicy, like eating horseradish or wasabi kind of spicy (my favorite kind)....and probably not something a man with stitched together bowels should be eating right now.  
> Ner dik'utla riddur- My foolish spouse  
> Briikasak- Run-ashore. Typically a night on the town while deployed, but we're using it here in the context of a bachelor's night/stag party.  
> Dini'la- Insane  
> Jaro- insane act of reckless stupidity
> 
> Thank you, as always, for reading, and for sticking with this epic tale.


	67. Battle and Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clan Kryze face their darkest hour together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm wildly emotional posting this chapter. Tears are literally in my eyes. This has been a ride and I thank you for coming along with me on it.

_ 19 BBY _

Bo sat on the edge of the bed in her and Tol’ket’s quarters, absently watching the morning traffic fly by. Her fingers blindly traced the lines and scrolls and curves in the brocade of the heavy dress she wore, similar to Satine’s ceremonial gown, in the same vibrant blue, green, and deep royal purple. Simpler, though, thankfully; less fussy and more streamline, but modest and regal and not at all what Bo would choose to wear. Bo had not argued about wearing it, though, her mind too preoccupied to waste energy on how cowing to the Senate by putting on a fake front of grace and peace was worse than actually  _ fighting  _ for their freedom.  _ All  _ of their freedom.

They would be leaving soon, any minute in fact, for what should be their final hearing on their case. She’d stolen away back to their quarters to collect her thoughts. If things went well, particularly if Count Dooku arrived safely and willingly testified, offering corroborating evidence to who Palpatine  _ really  _ was, then they could all walk out of the Senate building free to return home to Mandalore. The remaining members of her Death Watch would be released from the GAR detention center, alongside their Protector comrades. 

If things went poorly, all of that would still happen, except two very important people would not be returning home. Bo would lose her sister all over again, an idea that crushed Bo to the core. And, what’s worse, Bo would be thrust into the role of leader of Mandalore, a scenario she hadn't even once considered. It had been Satine groomed practically from birth to rule, not Bo. Satine knew how to do this. Satine had gotten the education to do it. The tutors and the mentoring. Bo had been taught to fight. Satine had been taught to  _ lead. _

Bo was  _ terrified.  _

The door whooshed open softly. “ _ Cyare,  _ it’s time to go.” She glanced over at Tol’ket, looking handsome and fierce in his formal Protector’s uniform. A tailor-droid had been brought in the day before, nipping and tucking the trousers and jacket, accommodating his sudden lack of bulk. He had lost a substantial amount of weight, unsurprisingly, considering his injuries, though he still cut an imposing figure as he filled the doorway to their room. The man did not need muscles or beskar to be intimidating if he chose to be intimidating.

He studied her for a moment before stepping into the room, palming the door shut behind him. Within two steps he was at the bed, settling on it next to her. “We have to go do this, Bo.”

She shook her head. “I’m not ready to do this.”

He grunted. She wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a laugh or a sound of agreement. “Unfortunately, the galaxy will not wait for us to be ready. Still we must rise and take up our arms to fight.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. She rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Why must you be so damned poetic sometimes?”

“You inspire me to poetry,” he said, trying to hide the note of teasing. 

Despite her terror, she allowed herself a tiny smile. “You’re full of shit.”

He chuckled. “On many things I am, but not about that, my love.” He kissed the crown of her head. “Come. Before they drag us to the speeder.” He stood, and she allowed him to gently tug her to her feet. She went to move toward the door, but he caught her by the wrist, pulling her into his arms. He cupped her cheek, guiding her eyes up to look at him. “No matter what happens today, Bo-Katan, we do it together. Do we have an understanding?”

Bo’s immediate instinct was to argue. Tell him how this was her responsibility to bear, but she paused, looking into his deep blue eyes. They were stern, earnest, full of concern and love. And she realized the argument on the tip of her tongue was false. It wasn’t just hers to bear. And, what’s more, she didn’t  _ need  _ to bear it alone. He would shoulder it with her. She nodded. “Together,” she agreed.

“ _ Jate,”  _ he whispered, before brushing his lips to hers. “ _ Mhi solus, serim?” _

She offered him a smile, feeling some of her terror ebbing away. “ _ Elek.”  _ She tipped her head to his, closing her eyes for a moment, basking in the quiet that she knew preceded the storm to come.

The quiet was broken within a second by loud banging on their door. “Auntie! Tol’vodu! We have to go  _ now!”  _ came Lily’s yell through their door.

“We’re on our way, Lily,” Tol’ket called back as Bo gave him a quizzical look. He returned her look, brows knitting together in question. “What?”

“ _ Tol’vodu?”  _

He laughed. “She’s decided that is my new name, seeing that I am now officially her uncle.”

Bo studied him for a moment longer, then smiled. “It suits you.”

He winked at her as he tugged her along to the door. “I know. Now, let’s go face our battle.”

With Tol’ket beside her, Bo decided in that moment, she may actually be able to weather anything.

* * *

The conference room had a quiet, nervous buzz in the air. Satine stood off to the side, Obi-Wan close to her, speaking quietly with Bail Organa. Satine, meanwhile, observed her family, their trusted and loyal commanders and friends, as they clumped together, seated at the expansive table, or standing close together, voices hushed and anxious.

Bo-Katan stood near the expansive window, huddled with Tol’ket, Fenn Rau, Ursa Wren, and Greer Eldar. She was unsure what they were speaking about- she assumed it was about the implications of the worst case scenario for the day- but Satine didn’t really care. She only marveled at her sister. Despite the vestiges of monarchy in the ceremonial gown Satine had ordered for her sister, soon to be regent of Mandalore, she stood with the fierce, ready grace of the warrior she was. The only tell that she was desperately trying not to crumple under her own fear was her hand, clinging tightly to the man she loved. Satine shook her head at that. She understood the feeling, though she had possibly never felt it as acutely as Bo felt it now. Satine had been groomed to lead from birth. She had certainly been terrified to it when the time came for her to do so, but she would have done it with or without Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, however, had been a blessed gift of strength and support when he’d agreed to stay. Satine was thankful her sister had the same in Tol’ket.

“And what of Dooku?” 

Obi-Wan’s question cut through the fog of Satine’s musings, and she pulled herself back into the conversation, focusing on Bail.

“The ship he is being transported on hit some delays, but they have just exited hyperspace,” Bail explained. “He is coming directly to the Senate to plead his case.” He shook his head before rubbing at his forehead. “I don’t know what he plans to say. But your hearing will be delayed, at least, until after he speaks.”

Obi-Wan squeezed Satine’s hand, smiling at her. She wished she could find his level of calm. She knew she faked it well, but her insides were roiling. “That’s a bit of good news, at least,” Obi-Wan said.

“More time is always beneficial,” Bail agreed. “We can use it in our favor. Many of Mandalore’s allies are out there now, trying to rally more votes in your favor.” 

“Is it that desperate, Bail?” Satine asked quietly, glancing over her shoulder at the children as she spoke.

The muscles in his jaw flexed before he spoke. “We are doing everything we can, Satine. Though they are supposed to be impartial, both Master Windu and Senator Mothma have worked tirelessly to steer the arguments away from Tarkin’s very harsh view on the matter. But he is….persuasive. Particularly among Palpatine’s friends. But there is always hope.”

Satine frowned. This was certainly not sounding hopeful. 

“Indeed, Bail,” Obi-Wan said, sounding practically cheerful, much to Satine’s annoyance. “As always, we are grateful for your help and your friendship.”

Bail smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Alderaan stands with Mandalore. But more importantly, Breha and I stand with  _ you.”  _ He glanced at a chrono hanging on a wall. “Now, if you will excuse me for a few minutes. I told Senator Bel Iblis I would go with him to speak to the senator from Eeropha.”

Obi-Wan made a face. “Good luck with him. I am not high on his list of favorites.”

Bail patted him on the shoulder as he moved toward the door. “Ah, but Garm can be quite charming when he needs to be. I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he slipped out of the door, his robes fluttering in his wake. 

“Now what?” Satine asked with a sigh.

Obi-Wan leaned close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Now we wait. And we hope.”

Satine let herself be pulled close to Obi-Wan’s side, and turned to observing the room once more. The children sat in a clump at the table, even Padme, who was rubbing Ahsoka’s back while speaking softly to the others. Lily clung to Anakin’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes staring off into the middle distance. None of them had taken the news of their parents’ plan well, Lily least of all. The boys, Ahsoka, were all old enough to get along without the consistent support of parents. Hells, Anakin was close to being a father himself. Lily was still so young, though, and, thanks to this damn war, far too sheltered. The added weight of her reckless and wild decision to shoot Palpatine made the news of her parents potential conviction and all that came with it hit hard. The girl loved her aunt fiercely and adored Tol’ket, but they weren’t her Buir and her Mum. Satine hated everything about this decision, but the reality was her children, her sister, her people could go on if they did this. Satine had always been willing to die for the sake of Mandalore. For the safety of her children. Now the universe was calling her bluff. 

The joke was on the universe. She was  _ not  _ bluffing.

* * *

Korkie still felt as if he was moving through a fog. His parents' announcement the day before that they would bear the full weight of responsibility for the attack had left him reeling. Until that moment, he had assumed they felt hopeful that all would be made right. But such a move said otherwise. 

He had spent most of the day after their announcement meditating, as best he could. Ahsoka had joined him for a time, which helped. Her calming warmth always a welcomed anchor to the Force for him. They had tried to pull Lily into meditate, too, but she was despondent, locking herself away in her room for most of the day until physically dragged out by their father for dinner. She was hardly much better now, as she sat clinging to Anakin, eyes glazed and lost. He understood how she felt. How did one cope with the knowledge that your parents could be put away for life? Or, worse. Executed? There was no lesson, from either his father’s Jedi teachings or all of the Mandalorian lore and culture he had been taught since he was a tiny boy that could prepare him for  _ this. _

Time seemed to slink by slowly. At some point, a server droid entered, bringing a lunch of sorts for them all that no one touched. Bail Organa had said that they were waiting for Count Dooku’s arrival, which seemed to be taking an interminable amount of time. 

He and Ahsoka were both finally starting to eye the soft buns and pots of jams and butters when the door wooshed open. Korkie assumed it was Bail returning and glanced up distractedly. Instead, it was Aled, walking carefully, a cane in his hand, lending him support.

“Aled!” Korkie shouted in delighted surprise, scrambling over his siblings to get to the young Protector. He threw himself at the man, wrapping him in a ferocious hug. “Stars, man, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see you again.”

Aled squeaked a reply of some sort, thumping Korkie on the shoulder roughly. “Spinal cord contusions, Korkie,” he finally managed. Korkie let go abruptly, grimacing sheepishly. 

“Kriff. Sorry,  _ ner vod.  _ I’m just so relieved to see you.”

“ _ Wer’cuy,  _ Kork. I’m just happy to be standing,” Aled said with a chuckle.

Korkie’s mother stepped over to them and laid a hand on Aled’s shoulder. “You fought valiantly, young Protector. Your valor did not go unnoticed.”

He flushed bright pink, his hands fidgeting with the grip of his cane as he stared at his feet. “It is my honor to stand with the throne, your grace. It’s why I fought so hard to be here today.”

She smiled sadly at him. “You are truly  _ mandokarla,  _ Aled.”

Somehow, he flushed redder, but was saved from any further embarrassment from praise heaped on by his Duchess when Ahsoka joined, shoving Korkie roughly out of the way to hug Aled far gentler than Korkie. “Oh, Aled, you had us so worried!”

Aled looked between her and Korkie shyly. “I was told you two saved me,” he said quietly.

Korkie’s own heart twisted then. That whole night had been hell, and finding his trusted friend in a lifeless heap had only added to it. It had been Ahsoka, clear headed and thinking straight as always, who had felt Aled’s presence in the Force, and had the wherewithal to begin lifesaving measures. “It was all Ahsoka. She’s a much cooler head than I am,” Korkie replied.

Ahsoka patted him cheerfully on the shoulder. “You would have done the same, Korkie. You just needed a second to take a breath.”

Korkie shook his head in protest. “It was all on you-”

“Please,” Aled interrupted with a smirk. “You two are cut from the same cloth. Thank you, really. Both of you.”

Tol’ket and Fenn Rau joined them then. Aled straightened, pulling himself to attention as best he could. Trying to hide a wince of pain, he saluted his superiors. They both saluted back, before Tol’ket’s serious face softened into a broad smile. “Lieutenant Carid, I heard the tales of your heroics. Your bravery will not go unnoticed. Expect a commendation and an advancement once we return to Mandalore.”

Aled shifted nervously under the attention of his commander. “I am a Protector, sir. I am honor bound to fight alongside and protect the throne,” he said. 

“That may be true,” Rau said, a small smile on his lips. “But I was there that night. You have earned the praise, Protector.”

Aled laughed nervously, his eyes flicking to Korkie for moral support. But a loud gasp pulled everyone’s attention away.

“Karabast!” Greer shouted, pressed close to the transparisteel of the window, looking up toward the sky. Bo-Katan and Ursa were following his lead, pressed against the glass, looking where he was pointing.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Ursa muttered.

In a moment, everyone else was up against the window, looking toward the sky. It was hard to see with the bright light of the early afternoon sun, but faint signs of a massive dog fight just out of the atmosphere could be made out, particularly with Greer and Fenn pointing them out. 

“Is Coruscant under attack?” Lily asked, breaking her silence for the first time in hours.

“Coruscant hasn’t been attacked in over a thousand years,” their father answered from behind her, peering up at the space battle.

“Or a month ago, depending on how you look at it,” Ahsoka pointed out.

“Well, from a certain point of view….” he replied just as a giant fireball fell through the atmosphere, blazing hot as it burned up on entry. The next moment Bail Organa bustling back in, out of breath.

“Dooku is dead!”

“ _ What?”  _ The answer came from various voices, as everyone turned enmasse toward the man.

“He’s dead. He was killed in that battle,” Bail explained, pointing out the window. Satine sat heavily in the nearest chair, all color draining from her face, her eyes going blank. Bo was beside her in an instant, kneeling beside her, whispering something to her as she pressed a hand softly to Satine’s cheek, taking her hands with hers, their expressions of fearful resolution mirrored on each other’s faces.

Bail studied them both carefully before moving on. “The ship he was on was attacked. There are conflicting reports on whether it was a rescue or an attempt to silence him.” He raised his hands in a gesture of contritness. “They are saying Grevious is dead, too.”

“That would end the war,” Padme breathed.

“But we also have lost our only chance of testimony to support us,” Satine said, not looking up from where she stared down at her hands joined with Bo’s.

“We must have faith, Satine,” Korkie’s father said, moving to her, kneeling in front of her beside Bo, forcing her to look at him. 

“He was our only hope, Obi-Wan,” she whispered.

Lily, standing beside Korkie, collapsed against him in tears. He wrapped his arms around her, wishing he could take her hurt away. But how could he, when he felt it so deeply, too?

* * *

The hours dragged out, the dullness and continuous sense of dread only broken up by watching the aftermath of the space battle rain down from the upper atmosphere. Reports trickled in. Doooku was in fact dead, and Grevious’ ship was all but vaporized, with no signs that he had been able to escape. The general was a slippery one, though, and no one seemed ready to declare him dead.

Obi-Wan expected at some point they would all be gathered up and sent back to their apartments, to wait out the inevitable at home, but it never came. So, they sat and waited, drinking endless cups of caf and tea and speaking in hushed, worried tones.

Finally, though, as the sun began to set and the city lights began to shimmer, the Senate guards arrived, practically an entire squad, to escort them to the Senate chambers. Obi-Wan locked eyes with Satine, where she still sat at the table, clutching Bo’s hand. She didn’t need words to tell him what she was thinking. He took her hand, helping her to her feet, and pressed calmness, stillness of mind through the Force, into her. She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and straightening her head dress. Then she took his arm, and let him lead her toward the door, her chin high. Tol’ket stepped in, wrapping Bo’s hand into the crook of his arm, and followed them, the children, with Anakin and Padme leading, fell in behind, heads held high in defiance. Ursa and Greer, Fenn and Aled, all trailed behind, following their Mand’alor and their Duchess to the bitter end. 

They walked through the Senate building, senators and staffers and bystanders parting before them like some sea of lore. They were nearly to their own pod when a shout stopped them all in their tracks.

“Ahsoka! Anakin!”

Obi-Wan turned to the sound of the voice to see Captain Rex, out of his armor and in his uniform, waving frantically at them as he pressed through the crowd. When he reached their procession, Ahsoka leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly around the neck, startling the poor man, sending a flush of color to his cheeks.

“Rex! I thought I’d never see you again,” she cried as he finally recovered and hugged her back. 

“I know, Commander. Me too,” he replied, smiling back.

Anakin and Korkie were on the man in a heartbeat, clapping him on the back and talking over each other.

“What are you doing here?”

“Were you in that battle?”

“But  _ why  _ are you here?”

Finally, he held up his hands to silence them both. “I am here to testify on your behalf.”

The whole group erupted with more questions, but Obi-Wan stepped in this time. “Instead of accosting the poor man, why don’t we let him actually  _ speak?” _

Rex grinned back at him. “Thank you, Mand’alor Kenobi.” Obi-Wan started to protest the formal title, but Rex jumped into his explanation. “Anakin, me and some of the other  _ vod  _ went to doctors and healers outside of the GAR. Away from Kamino. The chips are real.” “He pointed to a clean, precise fresh scar on his skull, a few centimeters above his right ear. “I was right. Fives was  _ right.  _ A dozen or so of us, throughout the army, in all different battalions and ages, we all went and we all had them pulled. They are in  _ all  _ of us.”

“But what does that mean, Rex?” Padme asked quietly, laying a hand on the soldier’s arm. 

Anakin answered. “It means that Palpatine absolutely had the ability to control them all to do  _ something _ . What, though, I still can’t quite figure out.”

“Tups killed his Jedi,” Rex said, almost a whisper, leaning in toward the group to not be overheard. “Some of us think it had something to do with the Jedi.”

All eyes turned toward Obi-Wan, waiting for him to offer some sort of wisdom. He cocked an eyebrow at them all in return. “What? I haven’t been a Jedi in nineteen years. I am as astounded as you all.”

Before anyone could respond a guard cleared his throat. “Duchess Satine, Mand’alor Kenobi, the Senate is waiting on you.”

Obi-Wan waved an impatient hand at the guard. “Yes, yes. We’re coming.” He closed his eyes for a moment, centering himself, then looked at Rex. “Say what you will, Captain. I have no doubt that it can only benefit all of us. Both Mandalore and you and the rest of your  _ vod.” _

Rex nodded in understanding, and the group moved down the corridor toward their pod, a sudden common buoyancy to all of their steps that hadn’t been there before. Maybe Dooku wasn’t their only hope, afterall. 

Tarkin was in full, vitriolic swing by the time they had settled in their pod. Obi-Wan sighed grandly as he listened to the man’s hyperbolic rhetoric. Nearby, in a separate pod, Obi-Wan watched Rex join Bail Organa, who was patiently waiting his turn to speak.

“These people, a warrior nation full of hot tempered commandos,  _ stormed  _ Coruscant, stormed our sacred Senate building, with the express purpose of assassinating our Supreme Chancellor. A failed attempt to bring the Republic to its knees before them, if it weren’t for the brave intervention of our troops and the Jedi. They  _ claim  _ to want peace, to seek neutrality, yet they seek to overthrow the very foundation of our Republic.”

“That’s  _ not  _ what happened,” Lily hissed angrily.

“ _ Ku’ur, vod’ika,”  _ Obi-Wan heard Anakin whisper back. He glanced over his shoulder to see his eldest pull Lily close against him, leaning down to whisper to her. He smiled to himself, happy to see his children together, even in uncertain and harrowing times, caring for one another. 

Obi-Wan turned back to Tarkin, still prattling on. “Mandalore is a menace. A system that should be brought to heel. They have pushed back against the Republic’s agenda since the beginning of the war, and this latest stunt is an example of their true nature.”

The man took a breath, winding up for another diatribe, but Senator Robb, acting as the interim chancellor, stood and held up a hand. “Thank you, Admiral Tarkin. Your case is well and clearly made, but it is late. It has been a long and difficult day for all of us. Let’s give Senator Organa the floor.”

Bail rose, moving to the podium in his pod. “Thank you, Senator Robb, Admiral Tarkin.” He paused, taking in the great expanse of the senate chamber. “My esteemed colleagues, I have made the case for the Mandalorians and their royal family ad nauseum these last few weeks. Both here, in the senate chamber, and with many of you personally.” His eyes glanced back to Rex, seated behind him, sitting on the edge of his seat, ready to leap into action. “But today you will hear from someone else. Someone who knows Clan Kryze personally, and also has personal knowledge of some of the allegations brought forward regarding Chancellor Palpatine’s backroom dealings.” Bail gestured toward Rex, who stood, straight and stiff. “Revered members of the Senate, Clone Trooper 7567, Captain Rex of the 501st Legion.”

Just as Rex moved toward the podium, a commotion came from the main viewing deck. Obi-Wan stood, leaning over the side of their pod to see the source of the interruption. “What’s going on, Ben?” Satine whispered, a spike of anxiety rocketing off of her through the Force. 

“It’s….Mas Amedda?” Obi-Wan breathed. 

“He’s been missing for weeks!” Ahsoka exclaimed. 

Indeed he had been. He had not been seen since leaving the Senate building after being dismissed by Palpatine the night of the raid on the building. But there he was, surrounded by members of the Coruscant Guard.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” Senator Robb asked, rising to her podium in the central pod. “Vice Chair Amedda, you have been summoned numerous times in the past month and are considered in contempt, do you understand?”

The Chagrian, already shuffled into a pod and ascending to the center of the chamber stepped to the podium. “Yes, Senator Robb, I am well aware.”

“Why, of all times, have you finally decided to make your appearance, then?”

The man looked, sheepish, if that was even possible for him. “I was detained by Commander Fox earlier, and brought directly here.”

“And do you come bringing testimony?”

He nodded his horned head. “I do.” He waited, watching Senator Robb expectantly. She merely nodded toward him. “Everything Senator Skywalker brought forward regarding Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, every word of it, every detail. It is all absolutely true.”

The Senate erupted. Obi-Wan turned to face his family, his eyes locking with Satine’s. “ _ Manda’ner,”  _ she breathed. “ _ Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur.” _

_ “Oya!”  _ came a rousing call from the Protectors and Death Watch.

Obi-Wan reached for her, pulled her to her feet, and wrapped her in his arms. She let out a long breath, as if she’d been holding it for days. They were  _ safe. _

* * *

  
  


Anakin sat in shock as his siblings, the Protectors and commandos, erupted in joy around him. There had never been any indication that Mas Amedda knew anything beyond what one would expect the vice chair of the Senate to know. But, here he was, answering question after question, explaining point after point. 

Relief washed over Anakin, like a cool, gentle wave in the lakes surrounding Varykino. The Force tingled around him, buoyant, calm,  _ happy.  _ All of his work, all of his sleepless nights, all of his worry, his days and nights spent at the evil hands of Sidious, it had not been for nothing. His family was safe. His home was safe. The  _ galaxy  _ was safe from horrors untold. 

Then a sharp spike of pain and fear hit him like a bolt of lightning. He sucked in a sharp breath before realizing the pain was coming through the Force. Padme’s small hand clamped down on his mechanical arm with a vice grip. “Ani,” she whispered harshly. “It’s happening.”

He turned to her, giving her a quizzical look. “What’s happening?”

“It, Ani, it. I’m having a contraction.” Her face screwed up as she breathed her way through the wave of pain that buffeted off of Anakin through the Force.

“Oh stars. Oh no. No no no, baby, this is not the time,” Anakin said, panicked.

“She doesn’t care, Anakin. She’s coming.”

Before Anakin knew what hit him, he was shoved aside by Ursa Wren, his mother soon to follow, who barked something at his father.

“Venerated members of the Senate, I am afraid we have a medical emergency,” Anakin briefly overheard his father say to the Senate, interrupting the questioning of Mas Amedda. But he tuned the rest out, moving to Padme’s other side. Ursa looked up at him after a few moments of consultation with his mother and Padme. 

“Looks like you’re about to become a father, kid,” she said with a wink and grin.

Anakin was  _ not  _ ready _. _

* * *

  
  


It turned out, Anakin found out, babies don’t care if you’re ready or not. 

After many hours, their baby came screaming into the world in the still dark hours of early morning. The midwife cleaned the squalling baby and placed her in Anakin’s arms. “Say hello to your son, Senator,” she said, smiling broadly.

“Son? No, no, it’s a girl. We were supposed to be having a girl,” he said, exhausted and confused, looking at Padme for confirmation that he wasn’t crazy. She nodded in agreement.

The midwife laughed. “That’s your girl’s brother! Your girl is up next!”

Anakin stared at her in bafflement. “We’re having  _ twins?”  _ Padme squeaked out, before howling in pain. 

“Right on time. Here she comes!” the midwife said in delight, moving back into position.

Within a few minutes, their baby girl had made her appearance, howling with indignation. And soon after that, Padme, gently propped up, was cradling both babies to her bare skin, smiling and laughing and crying in delight.

“ _ Twins,  _ Ani,” she whispered. “There’s two of them!”

“Stars,” was all Anakin could think to say, looking at his beautiful wife and their beautiful, perfect, healthy babies. He kissed each gently on the head, then pressed a soft kiss to Padme’s lips. “You are  _ amazing,”  _ he told her. Then he looked up at the midwife. “How did we not know it was twins?”

She paused in her work and smiled again. “Despite all our technology and gizmos, sometimes the babies just outsmart us. Your boy stayed in hiding, safe and snug, while his sister got all the attention.” She picked up a datapad. “Do we have names for their chain codes?”

Padme smiled up at Anakin. “Luke and Leia. Their names are Luke and Leia.”

* * *

  
  


Early morning sunlight filtered in through the wide windows of the Amidala-Skywalker living room. Satine sat reclined on the sofa, Leia cradled in her arms, sleeping soundly. She could put her in the bassinet, she supposed, but the warm, soft, quiet baby was such a joy, particularly after the last many weeks, she rather just hold her.

Beside her sat Bo-Katan, her bare feet propped up on the low table, staring down at a sleeping Luke. She had a small, gentle smile on her face, and looked to be having all the same feelings Satine was having herself. 

The rest of the apartment was still and silent. Obi-Wan had bowed out to get a few minutes of sleep in the guest quarters. The other children had been taken back to their apartment by Ursa and Tol’ket. No need to have them under foot, Ursa had said as she’d hustled them away. Satine and Bo had taken over the babies, sending Anakin off to rest with Padme.

“What’s it feel like,  _ Ba’buir?”  _ Bo asked, voice barely above a whisper as she rolled her head against the back of the sofa to look at Satine. Her lips were quirked up in a mischievous smirk.

Satine snorted in indignation at the honorific, but then smiled. “If you must know, _ Ba’vodu _ , it’s lovely. Absolutely lovely.”

Bo smiled back at her, warm and genuine and happy. Satine wasn’t sure she’d ever seen her look quite so  _ content.  _ “It really is, isn’t it?” She looked down at Luke, brushing soft fingers along his cheek, the small, soft smile returning. Satine watched her sister for a long moment, marveling at how this fierce, fiery, dangerous warrior could be  _ so  _ gentle. She’d seen it with her own children. She’d seen it with little Sabine Wren. And here it was on display again. Bo was an enigma. 

“Do you want children, Bo?” Satine asked. And then instantly regretted it as a flash of pain crossed Bo’s face. It was an uncouth question under the best of circumstances, and, knowing Bo’s history, downright callous. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair.”

Bo shook her head. “No, no, that’s alright.” She sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position. “I spent so long desperately not wanting children because of who the father would have been. And, well, I’ve barely had time to really process the fact that I am now married to the kindest, most patient man I have ever met. I mean, hell, Satine. The majority of our marriage has been spent in a hospital room. So, I haven’t really put any thought into it past that.” She glanced up at Satine and shrugged, though her feigned casualness couldn’t hide her anxiety over the thought. “I don’t know. I’m just happy I get to be Ba’vodu. I mean,  _ look  _ at this face!” She tilted Luke up gently so Satine could get a good look at him. He  _ was  _ perfect. That was without a doubt.

“It doesn’t matter, Bo. I am just happy you are happy, but most of all, I am happy you are  _ safe.” _

Bo sighed again,this time with contentment. “We’re  _ all  _ safe, Satine.”

Satine hummed in agreement, then rested her head on Bo’s shoulder. Bo tensed for the briefest of moments then relaxed, tipping her head to rest against Satine’s. “I’m glad you’re here, Bo,” Satine whispered. 

“Me, too, Satine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help sometimes come from unexpected places. 
> 
> And THE TWINS ARE FINALLY HERE!!!!!!
> 
> Mando'a lesson for the day:  
> Mhi solus, serim- We are one, correct?  
> Wer'cuy- It was ages ago. Forget about it.  
> Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur.- Today is a good day for someone else to die.
> 
> The next chapter is a bit of an epilogue, of sorts. And then, my dearest readers and friends, we will be at the end. Yes. I am crying. But, there are plans for a sequel! So we won't be without them forever.
> 
> Love you all more than words can describe. Your support and enthusiasm and wholehearted love for this family, even the non-canon characters, has been so touching and special to me. I adore each and every one of you.
> 
> Special shoutout to my Discord family, who saw me through my existential crisis the other evening and stopped me from scrapping everything I'd written for this chapter. You all are the real MVPs. I hope you appreciate my little secret gift in this chapter.


	68. Stay the Course

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clan Kryze regroups, unwinds, and recovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even really know what to say. I cried last night when I finished this. It's almost exclusively fluff. Enjoy it. We all deserve a little fluff....especially Clan Kryze.

_ 2 Months Later _

"It is such a pleasure to finally meet you officially, Korkie." Senator Bel Iblis smiled warmly as he greeted Korkie, shaking his hand firmly. "I've heard much about you. Senator Organa says you have a bright future." He gestured for Korkie to have a seat in an armchair, and poured them both a measure of whiskey. Corellian, Korkie assumed.

He clinked his glass to the senator's. "Senator Organa is far too kind," Korkie said before sipping the rich, amber liquor. It burned pleasantly down his throat, smokey and warm. Wholly unlike the spicy heat and ragged burn of his native  _ tihaar. _

"Bail is a good man, but does not hand out compliments just for the hell of it," Bel Iblis said as he swirled the liquor of his own glass idly. "Besides, you come from good stock, my young friend. I've always been an admirer of your mother. Always respected her gutsiness to lead your people to peace." He sighed wistfully, then sipped his drink. "And how she just stuck it to Palpatine, refusing to play his games when the war broke out? A work of art. She is truly everything a Mandalorian is always said to be. Such an inspiration.” The man leaned back in his chair and grinned sheepishly at Korkie. “But I digress. What brings you here today? Replacing your brother, are you?”

Korkie chuckled. “No, no. Just his errand boy while he and Pad-, er, Senator Amidala are on family leave. They’ll both be back next week.”

“And I’m an errand for you to run?” The senator’s voice was light, teasing as he waggled his dark eyebrows at Korkie.

It was Korkie’s turn to grin sheepishly. “In a sense, yes. You and many other senators. I have been tasked with gauging interest in an initiative Mandalore has in mind.” Korkie paused, taking a sip of his whiskey, waiting to see if Bel Iblis’ curiosity was piqued. 

The man leaned forward, resting elbows on his knees. “Oh? Do tell.”

“We are looking at opening a shipyard in Mandalorian space,” Korkie started. 

Bel Iblis cocked an eyebrow curiously. “How does that affect Corellia or any other system? Mandalorians are already master ship builders, and  _ highly  _ reticent to let anything other than those Kalevalan yachts out of Mandalorian hands.” He straightened, frowning. “Besides, you’re a pacifist people now. Your mother isn’t going to allow the sale of gunships, no matter how much other systems may covet a fleet of Kom’rks.”

Korkie nodded. “You’re correct, on both accounts. But this wouldn’t be for gunships or luxury yachts.” The senator leaned in again. “I’m sure you know that my brother has a special interest in humanitarian work. The whole family really.” Bel Iblis nodded. “We are in the early exploratory phase of building a coalition of a fleet of humanitarian aid ships.” 

Bel Iblis laughed with delight. “Alright. This sounds more like what I expect from your family. Tell me more.”

Korkie smiled, and pulled out a datapad. “We can see this being a Republic wide coalition, with systems offering up a variety of resources. Tech from Mandalore, ship design and building from Corellia, foodstuffs from Hetzal Prime, so on and so forth.” He handed the datapad to the senator, who scrolled through the information already compiled. “We have an entire army of soldiers without jobs, or soon to be without jobs, once the death throes of this war are over. Many have expressed a desire to do something other than fight. These are men trained in engineering, piloting, medicine, building. An untapped resource for  _ good.  _ Not war.”

Korkie paused, allowing Senator Bel Iblis to read for a moment. He glanced up at Korkie, the corner of his mouth twitching a bit in delight. “Tell me everything.”

An hour later, Korkie stepped out of the Corellian’s office, into the reception area. Aled fell to his side instantly.

“How did it go?”

Korkie looked over at his friend and grinned. “He loves it. He’s all in. He’ll be speaking with his government today.”

Aled gave a little celebratory shout, then instantly turned serious again when he drew too much attention to himself. “Did he say anything about it just being a ploy for Mandalore to save face, like the last  _ shabuir?” _

Korkie snorted inelegantly. The meeting previous to Bel Iblis had grated on Korkie’s nerves and forced him to call on the Force to keep from leaping across the desk and throttling the insufferable little bastard. “No. He’s genuinely into it. I’m not sure, but it may have something to do with his infatuation with my mother, but I’m counting it as a win.”

Aled chuckled. “Whatever wins us friends is good enough for me.”

Korkie nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.” He pulled out his datapad, scrolling through his agenda. “Alright. Who’s next? We've got work to do."

* * *

Bo-Katan stretched lazily, feeling like a sun warmed tooka. It had taken her days to feel comfortable not only out of her armor, but practically naked in a swimsuit. But having icy cocktails pressed into her hand at regular intervals on a nearly private beach had gone a long way to help her relax and loosen up. 

It certainly helped knowing there were Protectors nearby, hand selected by Tol'ket, watching their backs. As did knowing they both had blasters tucked under the cushion of the lounger they were sprawled upon. You could take the Mando'ade off of Mandalore, and all...

The canopy was up, keeping the sun directly off of them- an absolute necessity for Bo. Between a life lived covered in beskar and her fair skin, she had to enjoy Scarif's tropical sun carefully and sparingly. It was still warm and pleasantly humid in their personal spot of shade, though and the canopy gave them a measure of privacy from the Protectors, the resort's staff, and the few other guests enjoying the ocean view. 

Bo stretched again. She had been dozing, her head resting against Tol'ket's shoulder, reveling in their casual skin-to-skin closeness. One of his big hands rested on her thigh, lazily tracing patterns on her skin with his finger tips. The other held a datapad. She growled in annoyance when she caught sight of him reading.

"You're not supposed to be working,  _ cyare _ ," she said, rolling to her side to face him, draping her limbs over his body. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able  _ not  _ to touch him, having come so close to him slipping from her grasp forever. 

His hand on her skin shifted, and now ran up and down her thigh and hip, sliding to her backside for a moment, giving her ass an affectionate squeeze. She knew he felt the same about his need to touch.

"I'm  _ not  _ working, Bo," he chuckled softly, turning the datapad so she could see. She laughed in surprise. He was reading a rather trashy novel that she and Ursa had once read when they had been  _ much  _ younger.

_ "Manda'ner.  _ Will you ever cease to amaze me?" she said, still chuckling, as she pressed a kiss into his shoulder. 

He kissed her hair, still damp from her last dip in the warm water. "I hope not,  _ meshla _ . Especially when it makes you laugh like that." He sat the datapad down and shifted, wrapping an arm around her waist to drag her up to his lips. His hand cupped the back of her head and pulled her down into a long, lazy kiss. His hands roamed down her bare back and hips and up again, like he was memorizing every centimeter of her body, searing her into his mind using every sense he possessed. She followed his example, touching him everywhere she could, fingers tenderly gliding over the scar bisecting his side.

Tol’ket rolled them gently, so she was under him, pressed into the plush cushion of the lounger. She laughed again as his lips moved from hers, blazing a fiery trail down her neck. She shoved him playfully. “Tol’ket!” she chastised. “We’re in public.”

“Barely," he protested. "No one can see us,” he mumbled into her skin. “I’ll be damned if I’m not going to make out with my beautiful wife on a beautiful beach at least once during this trip.”

She giggled as his stubbly chin scratched her bare midriff where he peppered her with languid kisses. “You’re ridiculous,” she said with a sigh, though made no more protests. Instead, she ran a hand through his dense, curly hair and allowed him to do as he pleased. 

Her mind wandered, once again relishing the fact that he was here. He was  _ hers.  _ He’d been hers for a long time, she now realized. She’d just been exceedingly slow in understanding that. But she knew it now. Had learned it nearly too late. Would she have known,  _ truly _ known, if she’d been a minute or two later in finding him that night? What if she’d not gone looking for him? Would she have understood what she had meant to him, and him to her, if she’d instead found him dead, bled out, on that floor?

Tol’ket, clearly sensing her sudden mood shift, paused in his delicate placing of kisses along her thighs. “Bo? What’s wrong?”

Bo shook her head, trying to clear it of the dark thoughts. He moved back up the length of her body, cupping her chin gently in his hand. “Bo-Katan, what is it?” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and she sighed in resignation.

“I was just thinking about how close I was to losing you.”

He growled a little, then kissed her again, more firmly, a hand knotting in her hair. “But you didn’t, love. I am here, and I have no intentions of going anywhere.”

Bo fought a sudden swell of emotion, a sob- of relief or fear, she wasn’t sure- rising in her throat. She pushed it down and instead wrapped her arms firmly around Tol’ket’s neck, dragging him down to her, kissing him ferociously. He melted against her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. 

When the fierce rush of emotions ebbed away, he rested his forehead to hers and sighed. “Believe me?”

She nodded. 

“Good.” He suddenly moved, faster than he probably should have, as she caught the flash of pain across his face. Then he was scooping her up into his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise. "Time to wash off these bad memories," he said, grinning wolfishly. He trundled across the sand to the lapping waves. When he was hip deep, he tossed her. She shrieked with surprise before being submerged. 

She came up sputtering and laughing, and moved to tackle him, but he caught her and kissed her instead. He moved deeper into the water and she wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing the water and Tol'ket to carry her. He kissed her again, deeper this time, then pressed his forehead to hers.

"I’m here for good, Bo-Katan. I’m yours forever.”

She smiled, breathed him in, let the heat of him melt into her. “ _ Jate, cyare.” _

* * *

Anakin smiled to himself as he watched Lily and Ahsoka take turns diving from the rocks at the edge of a waterfall, into a deep pool at the base of it. Padme had led them on their short hike to this bucolic spot in the Lake Country; Leia strapped snuggly to her chest, Luke strapped to his, and it was perfect. The hum of the waterfall, the shrieks and laughs of his sisters, his beautiful wife resting against his chest, laughing at the girls’ antics while their perfect babies slept on the picnic blanket next to them. His heart felt light. At peace. A feeling he hadn’t truly felt in a long time.

“I’m happy to see Lily being Lily,” Padme said, reaching for another piece of pear. 

Anakin hummed in agreement. Lily and Ahsoka had traveled to Naboo on the pretense of helping with the twins (something absolutely not needed, what with Padme’s large family and cadre of handmaidens). The reality was, though, Lily needed a change of scenery. The kid had had it rough for the past several months, essentially from her birthday on, and just needed a chance to be a kid again.

“I’m just glad she’s away from all those holonet reporters,” Anakin said, absently twisting one of Padme’s curls around his finger. “Who the hell stakes out a school to ambush a thirteen year old girl, anyway?” He went still for a second, a little wave of anxiety hitting him. “Are they going to do that to the twins?”

Padme laughed humorlessly. “They’ll have to get through me, first.” Anakin chuckled and kissed the top of her head. 

Leia let out a sharp cry then, Luke, as always, directly behind her. He may have been the first born, but Leia was the one with all the ideas. “They’re hungry, I’m sure,” Padme said, picking Leia up, cooing to her softly. Anakin scooped up Luke, his heart leaping again at the idea that these beautiful, perfect babies were  _ his.  _ He bounced the baby boy gently, calming him while he waited for his more demanding sister to nurse. 

Padme watched him as she fed Leia. He could feel her warm gaze heavy on him, concern from her swirled lovingly around him in the Force. 

"You had a nightmare again last night," she said.

He sighed, shoulders slumping, but didn't look up, only kept his eyes on his baby boy. "I did." They had grown less intense and frequent since the twins had been born. Less visceral, less heart stoppingly real. But they still persisted.

"What was it about?" Padme prodded gently, following their usual pattern. One established after his torture at the hands of Sidious, and further encouraged by Anakin's childhood mind healer, Dr. Airini. 

He grimaced, not a fan of recounting details, despite knowing it helped. Hell, it had helped him as a boy. Why wouldn't it help now?

"You had died," he started. It was a common thread, he didn't need to go into details. "And I abandoned them in my grief. Left them to fend for themselves." The plot of the dream was simple, and sounded far less horrific when spoken, but Padme read the anguish it had caused clearly.

"But, Anakin, I am right here," Padme said, reaching over their babies to stroke his cheek. He wrapped his hand around her wrist, holding her there, leaning into her warm touch. "And I don't intend on going anywhere. But, more importantly, you would never,  _ could  _ never abandon them. You love them too much. Your love is stronger than anything else you may ever feel." 

She tipped his chin up, forcing him to look at her and not at Luke. "Anakin, your ability to love is what makes you so special. Not just me. Not just Luke and Leia. Not even just your family. But your love for  _ everyone _ . Do you understand me?"

He looked into her eyes, the color of dark, rich caf. He nodded. "I do."

She leaned forward as best she could without disturbing Leia, and she kissed him softly. "Good."

Shouting from the rocks pulled their attention away. Anakin turned just in time to see Ahsoka give Lily a mighty Force push off the cliff. Lily squealed and flailed then arrested her fall, the water rippling against the press of the Force. She laughed triumphantly, and gingerly lowered herself into the water, floating on her back, laughing up at Ahsoka. Anakin read Ahsoka's plan before the wicked grin parted her face and she took a running leap, cannonballing into the water. 

He laughed, and considered a teasing lecture on inappropriate use of the Force. "I hate that Lily has to go back next week," he said, unable to hide the wistfulness in his voice. "She's been so happy."

Padme gestured for him to switch babies with her, before turning back to watch the younger girls playing. "She's tough, Ani. Resilient. She'll be alright." She watched Lily and Ahsoka for a beat as they paddled around in the cool water. "Besides, she likes Dr. Airini, right?"

Anakin gently bounced Leia on his knee, getting her to burp. "She says she does."

"She'll be fine. You're just fretting about going back to Coruscant. Getting back to real life. Being back in the public eye. But everyone is fine. We're all safe. All because of you _."  _

He smiled at her before grabbing a soft cloth to wipe Leia's chubby chin. "You're right. As always."

Padme smiled back, then turned her attention to Luke, humming softly as he nursed. 

And she was right. He wished he could stay here in this safe little haven with his children and his wife. Protect his little sister from the incessant rumors about her shooting Palpatine. But it couldn't last. They all had to step back out into the galaxy at large. Besides, he had work to do when he returned to the Senate, if Korkie's enthusiastic messages and holocalls were any indication. It would be alright.

He stood and waded into the water, giggling as Leia's little feet touched the water, then pulled them back, then kicked back into it, marveling in her tiny baby way at the sensation. After a few minutes, Padme joined him with Luke, resting her head against his shoulder as they stood side by side in the cool water.

For now, at least, he could stay here awhile longer, and that was enough for him.

* * *

  
  


"Satine," Obi-Wan called quietly, moving back into the family lounge. "Are you coming to bed?"

He found her half reclined on the sofa, their unfinished bottle of wine from dinner sitting next to a forgotten glass as she read.

"Satine?" he tried again.

She looked up then, smiling, then folded her long legs up underneath her, an unspoken invitation to join her. He helped himself to her wine. "What has you up so late tonight, my darling?" he asked. It was far from an unusual occurrence the last couple of months. Between the slowly dying embers of the war and the dire need to bolster Mandalore's relationships with allies, as well as deal with their own fragile government, they'd both been working practically nonstop.

She sat the datapad down in her lap and shifted so she was leaning into him, draping a lithe arm across his shoulders. She took the wine glass from him and took a sip. 

"Reports from the gubernatorial race on Concordia. It's getting cutthroat, but how can we be surprised?"

He chuckled, then shrugged. "Bo will be relieved to have the duty removed from her plate, though." 

"That she will," Satine agreed. "She is tired of splitting her time, and I don't blame her." They'd not even left Coruscant after Mas Amedda's confession before Bo had put forth the idea of an election for her seat, and Satine had helped Bo facilitate the race almost immediately upon their return home. “By the time they’re home, the seat will be filled and she can devote her time to building Death Watch back up.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Indeed.” He took the glass, swigging back the last gulp, and leaned forward to fill it again. He handed it back to her. “Did you see Korkie’s message this evening?”

Satine ran her fingers through his hair, her thumb brushing over the creeping grey at his temples that he desperately tried not to be vain about. “I did. He’s laying a good foundation for Anakin. I received correspondence from several senators, as well, about him. He’s developing quite the fan club.”

“I am sure it’s his mother’s grace and wisdom,” Obi-Wan said, capturing her hand in his hair to press a kiss to the palm.

She made a little scoffing noise. “I think it’s his father’s charm and wit.” 

“Well, then, the boy is doubly blessed.” He grinned cheekily at her as he stole the glass back, taking a long sip, then rested his head on the back of the sofa, lulled by Satine’s gentle fingers combing through his hair.

They were quiet for a few moments, before she addressed the question he’d been avoiding answering for over a week. “Ben, what are we going to do about Tol’ket’s request to retire?”

Obi-Wan frowned, tried to hide it as he sipped the wine. The idea of being without his loyal and steadfast friend close at hand, watching over his family, was not an idea he wanted to entertain. “Continue to ponder it a bit longer,” he finally answered.

She took the glass away from him. “And by ponder, you mean ignore it all together.” He glanced at her to see an elegant brow cocked in disapproval. “They’ll be home in a few days, Obi-Wan.”

He let out a growly breath. “I know, Satine. I just….I think he needs to give himself more time. He’ll be fine. He’s damned near indestructible as it is.”

“Obi-Wan…” Satine warned.

“Do you want to be without him?”

She sighed, leaned back against the sofa, mirroring his position. “No, but Fenn would do an admirable job stepping into his position.” He turned his head and watched her as she stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought, and took a sip of wine. “I actually have an idea that might suit us all.”

“Oh?” 

“But, I would like to discuss it tomorrow when we haven’t polished off an entire bottle of wine and are more refreshed.”

He chuckled. “That’s completely valid, my love.” He leaned over to kiss her, and she surprised him with a far more passionate kiss than he had planned. 

“No more work tonight,” she said when they broke apart. He wasn’t sure if it was to him, or to herself, but he agreed with her anyway.

“No, Satine, no more work.”

She leaned forward, setting the wine back down, toggling a control to dim the lights. He went to stand, head toward their bed, but she grabbed him by the arm, staring up at him from where she reclined on the sofa. 

“Ben, stay.”

He lowered himself back next to her, and pulled her to him, kissing her fiercely. When he’d kissed her breathless, he rested his head to hers.

“Of course I will stay.”

* * *

  
  


> **_ROYAL FAMILY GROWS!_ **
> 
> _ Mandalore, Sundari Office _
> 
> _ Clan Kryze, the ruling family of Mandalore, announced the birth of twins to their eldest son, Mandalorian Senator, Anakin Skywalker, and his wife of two years, Senator Padme Naberrie Amidala of Naboo. _
> 
> _ The twins, a boy and a girl, are said to be healthy, happy, and thriving. Both parents have been enjoying a brief family leave with their new children before returning to their work in the Republic Senate.  _
> 
> _ A representative of Duchess Satine Kryze and her husband, Mand’alor Obi-Wan Kenobi, has expressed the royal couple’s delight in their new grandchildren, stating that the importance of children to Mandalorian culture is so critical that it is included in their sacred tenants. Their representative said the couple is excited to see their clan grow.  _
> 
> _ In other news regarding the royal family of Mandalore, it was announced that the Duchess’ younger sister, Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, has married the Captain of the Royal House Guard and Protectors, Edean Tol’ket.  _
> 
> _ Lady Bo-Katan was presumed dead after the Mandalorian Civil War, but resurfaced two years ago, gaining control of the terrorist organization, Death Watch, and restructuring the group into a defense force for Mandalore. It is said she and Captain Tol’ket have worked closely over the last two years, spearheading many operations together, including the assissination of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, only three months ago. It is rumored that Lady Bo-Katan was the one to pull the trigger on the shot that killed the Chancellor, though that has not been confirmed.  _
> 
> _ The royal family’s representative stated that the family is thrilled at the pairing, stating that Captain Tol’ket has long been considered family and that they are happy it is now official. _
> 
>   
>    
> 

He tossed aside the datapad and sighed. He’d been wrong. Very wrong. Normally he hated being wrong, but, in this instance, he was willing to admit to a sense of relief. 

Skywalker had  _ not  _ fallen. 

Skywalker had triggered a series of events that had not only ended his former master’s war, but had resulted, shockingly, in the dark lord’s ultimate demise. 

A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.

The death, the destruction, the burning. All he had foreseen, thinking Anakin Skywalker, that desert rat child born on Tatooine and raised in the royal palace of Mandalore, would aid in it all.

But, in fact, it had been just the opposite.

He picked the datapad up again, glancing at what amounted to a celebrity chasing tabloid article on the holonet. 

He’d been wrong. And now he wasn’t sure what to do. 

He let out a long frustrated breath, and read through the article again. Lady Bo-Katan, that fierce, fiery warrior he’d found so intriguing, had wed. And to that damned Protector, no less. The same one that had shot him, all those years ago. The same man, he realized, that had caused Lady Bo-Katan to kill his brother to protect. 

He threw the datapad against the far wall of his makeshift throne room. It shattered in a satisfying way. 

That damn family, one way or another, would always be the bane of his existence. But, he thought, taking a settling breath, he would bide his time, build his resources, and find a chink in their damn  _ beskar’gam.  _ One way or another.

His comm beeped then. “Yes. What is?” he growled, staring at the mess of his datapad across the room from him.

“Dryden Vos of Crimson Dawn is here to see you, Lord Maul,” came back the guard outside his door.

“Fine. Send him in.” He glanced again at the mess on the floor. “Also, send in a cleaning droid, and acquire me a new datapad. Be hasty about it.” He shut off the commlink before the guard could respond. 

Yes. He would stay his course. Grow stronger, more powerful than ever before. Refrain from hasty, rash decisions. Build his wealth and empire. And, one day, he would avenge his brother’s death.

  
  


**_Kyr._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a wild ride, my friends, and I thank you for joining me on it. I really did not know what I was getting into when I began writing this on a kriffing whim in July, but I have no regrets now. It has been wildly fun, frustrating, and soothing to build this world for some of our favorite characters, giving them a mostly happy universe to live in, outside of canon. 
> 
> Clearly, this is set up for a sequel. Obviously, right? It will be a little bit before I begin it, as I'm still fleshing out the details and motivations beyond the larger, overarching plot. I also want to take some time to write a few one shots and short fics (I swear they'll be short....two, three chapters, tops), both in this universe and in canon, that have been firmly placed on the back burner while I have finished this. And, of course, on top of all this, a new chapter in my life outside of writing is about to begin, which is why I will probably allow some time before starting the sequel, so I can adjust to a new schedule and a new routine!
> 
> Some stories to look forward to include:  
> -A look at Bo-Katan and Ahsoka's decades spanning friendship, set during the time of the Mandalorian.  
> -A fic based on a semi-crack headcanon on just why Bo-Katan looks so damn good during the Mandalorian...but done seriously.   
> -A completely self indulgent domestic fluff piece for Bo'ket.   
> -A silly fic that I have already started and keep swearing I'll finish for @Bralatine featuring FancyBo!  
> -I am sure there will be some other Obitine stuff in there, as well, because I know I already have a few ideas rolling around in my head for those two.
> 
> If you're on tumblr, you can find me @the-obiwan-for-me. Feel free to ask questions or hit me up to discuss anything I write, or Star Wars in general. I love to chat! I will also cautiously take prompts, though I'm not always great at them. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart. Whether you've been here from the day I shared chapter 1 or you just spent the last 48 hours of your life binge reading this, THANK YOU. Your support, love, enthusiasm, ideas, musings, kudos, all of it, have meant so much to me! I'm sorry I've been crap at answering comments...maybe now that the story is done, I can devote some time to thank you all personally!

**Author's Note:**

> OF COURSE Korkie is a Kenobi.
> 
> Please let me know if we need Mando'a translations. I don't plan on using it heavily, but there will be some.


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